The Gambia’s Finance Minister has promised universal access to electricity by 2025 as Parliament approves over two billion Dalasi loan and grant agreement from the European Investment Bank. By Edrissa Jallow and Yusef Taylor The Gambia’s National Assembly approved a thirty-five-million-euros (EUR€35.08 million) loan and grant agreement between the Government of The Gambia and the European Investment Bank on Monday 6th March 2023, the same day parliament convened its first ordinary session for the 2023 Legislative year. The loan and grant agreement is equivalent to over two billion, three hundred and sixteen million dalasi (D2.316 Billion) at a rate of…
Author: Edrissa Jallow
Edrissa Jallow
Edrissa Jallow is a journalist with over three years of experience working for two online media platforms. Mr Jallow joined Gainako News during the Nomination process for the December 2021 Presidential Elections. Since joining Gainako, Mr Jallow has published over 50 stories in less than a year. He is currently a final year student at the Media Academy for Journalism and Communications (MAJaC), a leading journalism training institution in The Gambia. Mr Jallow is currently the Project Manager of The Gambia Parliamentary Newsletter and reports extensively on Parliamentary proceedings.
By Edrissa Jallow, @EdrissaJallow10 The Gambia Chamber of Commerce (GCCI) awarded a total of D1.5 Million to nineteen (19) outstanding young entrepreneurs, concluding their 2023 Keur Jula Challenge on Friday 10th March 2023. The challenge launched on Thursday 28th July 2022 saw some four hundred and fifty (450) contestants compete for 19 winning spots in a business TV show-style competition aired on QTV. Dignitaries in attendance include; The Minister of Youth and Sport, the President of GCCI, Qgroup Foundation, Italian Coordinator Maura Pazzi, the International Labour Organisation representative, and the UNDP resident coordinator. According to the Keur Jula audition guide, four…
By Edrissa Jallow, Hon Fabakary Tombong Jatta, Speaker of The Gambia’s Sixth Legislature has warned Cabinet Ministers to avoid missing Parliamentary appointments and contempt of Parliament on the first day of the First Session of the 2023 Legislative Year which took place on 6th March 2023. According to Speaker Jatta, Parlaiment’s Assembly Business Committee (ABC) has noted “grave concern that some Hon Ministers do fail to appear before this August Assembly on their scheduled business date during previous sessions. This is not acceptable to the committee and this has to be seized”. “In this circumstance, the Assembly Business Committee strongly…
By Edrissa Jallow and Edward Francis Diallah Girls for the future foundation on Friday 3rd March 2023 graduated twenty-eight young female entrepreneurs after completing a four months entrepreneur mentorship program. The graduation ceremony which took place at the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) campus in Kanifing was graced by the member for Banjul South, Hon Fatoumatta Njai, Mr Musa Sidibeh of MSDG, keynote speaker Ramatoulie Kadam and the Chairperson of YMCA. The programme funded by Migration for Sustainable Development Goals (MSDG) by GK Partners, offered young ladies including persons living with disability relevant skills leading to a successful business. In…
By Edrissa Jalllow, @EdrissaJallow10 President Adama Barrow has appointed Mr Muhammad B. S. Jallow on Friday 24th February 2023 as the Vice President replacing late former Vice President Alieu Badara Joof who died on Wednesday 18th January 2023 in New Delhi, India after a brief illness. The death of the former Vice President shocked the country bringing many to tears during a state funeral. Many citizens were convinced that the late Vice President Joof could help President Barrow turn things around, however, his term was cut short unexpectedly. On the same day the Vice President died, President Barrow declared one…
By Edrissa Jallow, @EdrissaJallow10. The United Democratic Party (UDP) Campaign Manager, Momodou Sabally, has labelled President Adama Barrow’s Commission of Inquiry into Local Governments and Councils a major abuse of state resources, with the 2023 Local Government Elections around the corner. The firebrand Politician of arguably The Gambia’s biggest opposition party who was recently arrested and eventually released without charge, did not hold back in his condemnation of the newly announced Commission of Inquiry. Mr Sabally declared his unreserved resentment at a stakeholder dialogue organised by pro-fiscal transparency organisation Gambia Participates, focusing on “sanctioning the abuse of state resources”. In…
By Edrissa Jallow, @EdrissaJallow10 The Chairperson of Parliament’s Select Committee on Gender, Children and Social Welfare, Hon Fatoumatta Njai has called on stakeholders to collaborate to advocate and pass a Bill to increase women’s representation. Hon Njai, an Independent member of Banjul South also revealed that her Committee plans to table a “Women’s Representation Bill” in the future. The Bill aims to provide reserved seats for only women to contest elections to the National Assembly. Hon Njai made these remarks on Friday 10th February 2023, during the opening ceremony of a Policy Dialogue engagement organised by the Westminster Foundation for…
By Edrissa Jallow, @EdrissaJallow10 The Baldeh Family Real Estate based in the United States have signed a mega international deal with TAF Africa Global to provide affordable homes to customers in the US and Africa on 24th January 2023. The partnership was signed shortly after a tour of the newly constructed TAF City. Our reporter spoke to Demba Baldeh and TAF General Manager, Ya Bajen Njie to get a better understanding of this new partnership. Baldeh Family is a family-owned real estate business first established in the United States in 2009 selling commercial and residential properties. Speaking to Mr Baldeh…
By Edrissa Jallow, @EdrissaJallow10 The Gambia’s National Audit Office (NAO) and the African Organisation of English-speaking Supreme Audit Institutions (AFROSAI-E) organised a joint week-long multi-stakeholder consultative workshop focusing on the Accountability of Extractive Industries in The Gambia. Starting on Monday 30th January 2023 at the SeneGambia Beach hotel, the event saw participants fly in from South Africa, Norway, Malawi and Uganda to name a few. One of the main aims of the workshop is to complete the “finalization of the draft risk assessment matrix developed by the NAO for the identification of possible audit areas in the Extractive Industries sector”.…
By Edrissa Jallow, @EdrissaJallow10 Last week, 17th January 2023 marked one year since Journalists Pa Modou Faal and Musa Ndow lost their lives. Our reporter conducted an exclusive interview with Pa Modou’s widow, Mariama Jallow Faal who told our reporter that her husband’s death has made life difficult for the family. The two journalists, including a health worker named Kawsu Bayo, died in a fatal car crash in Jarra in the Lower River Region (LRR) while returning from official duty on Monday 17th January 2022. “His absence created an irreplaceable void in our lives. Pa was a father who was…