By Edrissa Jallow The Central Bank of the Gambia (CBG) led by Governor Mr Buah Saidy presented its 2020 annual report before Parliament’s Finance and Public Account Committee (FPAC) on Monday 17th June 2022 disclosing that, the CBG’s total assets increased by 15.6% (D58.8 billion) at the end of December 2020. According to the Governor, the financial sector is still fundamentally sound with a high level of capital, liquidity, and profitability. “The total assets of the banks expanded by 15.6 per cent to D58.8 billion as at end-December 2020 from 50.9 billion a year ago,” revealed Governor Buah Saidy during…
Author: Yusef Taylor
Yusef Taylor
Yusef Taylor, commonly known as Flex Dan is an editor and practising journalist based in the Gambia with a keen interest in human rights, the economy and good governance among many others. He continues to break news on the economy, human rights violations and is highly engaged in security sector reforms, constitutional reform and the transition of the Gambia from dictatorship to a democracy, the NewGambia. Yusef has been working with Gainako as a media practitioner from 2015 to date. He has a degree in Civil Engineering with 5 years of Design Consultancy experience.
By Yusef Taylor and Patience Loum The Pan African Network for Artistic Freedom (PANAF) launched its Gambia Chapter on 18th June 2022 at Blaque Magique located in Senegambia. The initiative spearheaded by Selam and Team Gom Sa Bopa “seeks to create a Pan-African inclusive voice for organisations, artists and culture producers defending artistic freedom in the music and film sectors”. The event featured Live Band musical performances from Killa “Ali Cham” Ace and Mariama Cham, two-panel discussions followed by a dinner networking event. Amongst some of the keynote speakers at the event were the Selam Regional Director Lucy Ilado, National…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT During a press conference with the Leadership of the People’s Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS), Hon Halifa Sallah told journalists that the D300,000 “[CDF] fund should be scrapped because it promotes self-perpetuating rule of National Assembly members”. In his view, the [CDF] fund should be allocated to “the Council’s Local development committee”. However, Hon Suwaibou Touray of Wuli East believes otherwise and that the D300,000 CDF should be increased to D500,000 every year. According to Hon Touray who won a second term in Parliament under a PDOIS ticket, “2021 was the first year when…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT The National Assembly Member (NAM) for Wuli East, Hon Suwaibou Touray has informed Gainako that he spent his D100,000 Clothing Allowance on urgent projects in his constituency. However, his Party Leader and former member for Wuli West, Hon Sedia Jatta disapproves of the clothing allowance. According to a Standard Newspaper publication, Hon Sedia Jatta was unaware of the clothing allowance passed by the Fifth Legislature, he noted his “surprise when [he] heard about it and did not believe it until [he] saw it in the press”. Both members are from the same party, the People’s Democratic…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT The Gambia Parliamentary Newsletter (GPN) has launched its second edition today 16th June 2022. The second edition focuses on the Committees of the National Assembly, an explainer of Bills and Acts and the activities in the month of May and the first week of June 2022. You can download the second edition at the link below. 2022-MayJune-GPN 2nd Edition We are convinced that our readers will find the double spread in the middle dedicated to the setup of Standing Committees very useful and informative throughout the five-year period of the 6th Legislature. It depicts the balance…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT – Interview conducted on 13th May 2022 “Our recent history is too fresh in our minds for us to have a nonchalant attitude towards human rights. Those who govern us (the Executive and its agents), those who are governed (the public) and those who aspire to govern us (political parties and their supporters) must believe in the principles of human rights and not just pay lip service to its ideals”. These are the words of the Chairperson of the Gambia’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Mr Emmanuel Joof during his hearing at the Truth Reconciliation and…
By Yusef Taylor, @Flex Dan reporting from Egypt, Sharm El Sheikh The Gambia’s Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (MoHERST) has confirmed to Gainako that they have secured additional funding of US$15 Million from the Arab Bank of Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) after receiving US$7 Million from the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) in December 2021. This brings the total funding secured up to US$22 Million, equivalent to over D1.1 billion at a rate of D53 to US$1. MoHERST Officials say they have secured the funding required to complete the construction of the University of the Gambia’s (UTG)…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has informed Gainako Online News that the Drug Law Enforcement Agency the Gambia (DLEAG) has compensated a victim with D50,000 on 31st May 2022. The letter from the DLEAG dated 30th May 2022 and addressed to the NHRC notes that the compensation has been revised to fifty thousand Dalasis (D50,000) for onward delivery to the victim, Sara Jawla. This is a far cry from two years back when complaints from victims of human rights violations were met with deafening silence, denials and rebuttals. Since the NHRC started receiving and investigating…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT The Millennium Sustainable Development Goals (MSDG) Project has launched its D17.2 million Diaspora Development Fund (DDF) targeting 55 Gambian Diaspora fellows. After a successful pilot project which awarded a total of D4.685 million to 10 Gambian Diaspora Fellows in 2020/21, the DDF revealed plans to award an average of €5,000 to 55 more Gambian Diaspora Fellows. The Gambian Diaspora contributes significantly to the Gambian Economy. The Central Bank of the Gambia noted that Diaspora remittances increased to $US773.7 million in 2021, up from $US589.81 million in 2020. This represents a 31% increase in remittances and a…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT Gambian Civil Society Organisations (CSO) Transitional Justice Working group submitted a White Paper on the Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) on Thursday 6th May 2022. The TRRC investigated human rights violations of the regime of former President Yahya Jammeh. The CSO White Paper highlights some of the concerns of victims and proposes recommendations to address them. One section in the report highlights “double standards or inherent limitations?”. This section of the CSO White Paper contrasts the Government’s efforts to prosecute perpetrators with the International Community’s efforts to prosecute perpetrators…