By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) released its “General Voter List Constituency Total 2021” highlighting that 25,327 voters have been removed from the provisional 2021 General Voter List. After six (6) weeks of voter registration which ended on 11th July 2021, the IEC issued a press release highlighting that 987,484 Voters Cards had been issued. After the conclusion of the voter’s registration, the IEC Chairperson, Alieu Momarr Njai was quoted on the media indicating that over 3,000 duplicated voters’ cards were on the voter’s list by early August 2021. At first many thought that the multiple registers…
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, @FlexDan_YT The Director of the National Agency Against Trafficking in Persons (NAATIP) revealed that three (3) convictions have been secured with a number of cases still in court. Gainako’s reporter requested information on the highest penalty imposed in these convictions to which Director, Tulia Jawara Ceesay responded to say D50,000 and 15 years. According to records obtained by Gainako, the youngest person trafficked is a three (3) months old baby, back in 2018. In her opening speech, the NAATIP Director, explained that the Gambia “is a State Party of the Palermo Protocol” which aims “to prevent, suppress…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT Gambian born international music producer, Mr Malang Fatty is set to propel two Gambian artists, SingjakKS and Kombonka to stardom in October 2021 and January 2022. The Yorkshire based producer is also an audio engineer and sound designer who graduated with a Bachelors in Music Technology and is currently pursuing a Masters in Sound Design. “Malang’s style of music is a blend of West African rhythms with contemporary western instruments and styles of music”. Malang’s varied experience and exposure has imbued him with a rich knowledge of musical styles, enhancing his ability to “blend them in…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT The Gambia Center for Victim of Human Rights Violations has labelled President Adama Barrow’s decision to form an Alliance with exiled former President Yahya Jammeh’s party as “quite disheartening and treacherous”. The strongly-worded press release described the former Dictator’s governing party, the Association for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) as a “terrorist party”. The press release from the Victim Center labelled former President Jammeh “a tinpot dictator who orchestrated the crimes of mass killings and raped innocent mothers and daughters, and fathers and sons for 22 years of APRC tyrannical regime”. President Barrow came into power…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT Gainako Online news conducted an exclusive interview with Hon Alhagie Mbow, National Assembly member for Upper Saloum and a graduate of Armitage Class of 1991. Speaking at a donation ceremony at his former school the Gambian Parliamentarian said “I couldn’t have been Hon Mbow without Armitage High School” after his Alumni Class of 1991 donated school materials worth over D200,000. According to Hon Mbow, the group was only formed within 6 months, however, they felt that it was “most critical — to support the sciences and also the technical areas in this country”. In response to…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT Armitage Class of 1991 Alumni has donated school material to Armitage High School worth over D200,000 to assist students with their practical classes such as chemistry practicals, woodwork and metalwork to name a few. Speaking to the Spokesperson for the Alumni Class of 1991 he added that the donation includes 5 desktop computers with a paid one-year internet subscription. Spokesperson of the Class of 1991 Alumni, Alhagie Sillah Conateh told Gainako Online News that he was pleased to be back at the school he and his colleagues graduated from in 1991. “When we graduated some of…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT Gainako Online Newspaper caught up with Armitage Principal, Sekunda Sibi in an exclusive interview just moments after receiving the Armitage Alumni Class of 1991 who had donated over D200,000 worth of educational materials to the school. He encouraged other Alumni Classes to support the school in their efforts to turn Armitage into one of the best schools in the country. Armitage Principal, Sekunda Sibi was a one-time Education Officer and former Principal in numerous schools he says. He also worked as an Admin Officer in a number of Regional Education Offices. Mr Sibi expressed his gratitude…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT The national budget is the second most important Government Policy document of any nation, second only to the Constitution. According to the Open Budget Survey 2019, The Gambia’s Public Participation in the Budget Process is insufficient with a low score of 9 out of 100. This ranks the Gambia below Ghana and above Liberia. This article looks at the efforts of a Civil Society Organisation to increase public participation in the budget process. On the Open Budget Survey website, it describes the organisation as “the world’s only independent, comparative and fact-based research instrument that uses internationally…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT The Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Gambia Agency for the Management of Public Works (GAMWORKS) have signed a D187 million agreement for the construction of five new health clinics in rural Gambia on Thursday 2nd September 2021. Speaking at the signing ceremony the former Director-General of GAMWORKS, Mr Ebrima Cham highlighted that “health is a priority for every Gambian and signing this contract today is an important milestone because these five clinics will really have a huge impact in the communities that they will be located”. MoH Demands Quality Work on Time During the keynote…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT Gainako Online Newspaper visited the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) on 30th August 2021 and was issued a list of Registered Political Parties to date which include 18 Political Parties. According to IEC Cheif Electoral Officer, Mr Sambujang Njie, all Parties listed from 1 (UDP) to 8 (GMC) were registered according to the previous requirements which include at least 5,000 registered voters. From the 5,000 registered voters, they should include at least 200 registered voters from each of the 7 administrative areas. In essence, Parties that have already been registered don’t have to register again. From 2016…