Ecowas lawmakers pushed for better voting rules yesterday at their special meeting in Lagos. They believe these changes would strengthen democracy across West Africa. Representatives from The Gambia, Liberia, and Nigeria spoke up during this gathering. They all agreed that countries need clearer voting systems where everyone follows the same rules.
Billy Tunkara from The Gambia serves as the fourth deputy speaker of the Ecowas Parliament. During the session, he discussed how the regional group must ensure that countries actually follow the voting agreements they signed. "This represents the dream of the Ecowas Parliament. We stand for voting reform, smart practices, and responsible leadership," Tunkara explained. He also reminded...
Sports Minister Bakary Badjie told officials his department asked the cabinet to approve selling Friendship Hotel to private business operators. The government opened this hotel in 1983 and has run it itself ever since. Bad management has caused the place to sit empty most nights. The hotel loses around D2 million because it spends more cash than it makes.
Badjie brought his plan forward last February because he wanted better professional management for the building. He believes private companies can run the hotel better than government workers ever did. Several government departments joined together to figure out exactly how they should handle this transfer process. Teams from finance, tourism, justice, and stadium management all...
Justice Minister Dawda Jallow told everyone President Adama Barrow stepped in to block the sale of Hamza Barracks. The property sits at Mile 2 in Banjul and started as Palm Grove Hotel before former president Yahya Jammeh changed it. The government took control of this building after officials released their official report about Jammeh's money dealings with his friends.
Lawmakers asked Minister Jallow Wednesday if someone bought the barracks for just D1.2 million. He explained that the place almost went up for auction until President Barrow heard about it and stopped everything. Jallow made clear that military property remains under government control. The armed forces continue to use the building, and there are no plans to sell it...
Justice Minister Dawda Jallow spoke to lawmakers about creating an anti-corruption commission immediately. He explained that the government started building better ways to fight corruption last year. Their ideas about how the commission should work have changed greatly since they began planning.
The government published job openings for the chairperson and two members back in January. Anyone interested needed to apply before February 28, 2025. Jallow mentioned officials formed a special team to review these applications, meeting first on January 22.
Jallow defended the slow progress by saying his department wanted to make sure any anti-corruption measures would actually work for years to come. He hopes the commission starts operating...
The Gambia Bar Association has fully backed Abubacarr Tambadou for a judge position at the International Court of Justice. Their statement earlier praised their member and past justice minister. They pointed to his steady support for legal rules, deep knowledge of law, and great leadership skills. The group called him an excellent pick who would make the ICJ stronger and more trusted.
Mr. Tambadou has been the Registrar of the Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals since July 2020. Before that, he served his country as Attorney General and Minister of Justice from February 2017 through June 2020. His African Union peers chose him as Chair of their Specialized Technical Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs in 2019. The Organisation...
The Ministry of Transport pushed back Wednesday evening against comments made by UDP leader Ousainu Darboe. They called his Tuesday claims about the government selling Banjul Port to Turkish company Albayrak completely false. The ministry stated these remarks were made up to hurt a business deal that would improve port services across The Gambia. They explained their team worked with an international advisory firm that helped create similar projects in over ten countries.
The ministry criticized Darboe for his poor understanding of port operations. They defended current port managers against his claims they lacked skills compared to previous teams. Banjul Port remained small through the late 1980s before expanding in 1992. Back then...
The Gambia climbed two spots higher on the global soft power chart for 2025. Brand Finance, a top UK accounting firm, placed this small African nation at position 156 out of 193 countries. Last year, The Gambia sat at spot 158 but improved its score to 27 points this time around. The company measures how well countries can persuade others without using force.
Brand Finance looks at many factors when ranking countries. These include how familiar people feel with a nation, its business climate, educational systems, cultural heritage, and government quality. The firm has tracked the strongest national brands for twenty years and serves as the leading expert on brand strategy worldwide. Their yearly studies help show which countries have...
The National Human Rights Commission is upset after Gambian lawmakers voted against letting citizens who live outside the country vote in elections. Many Gambians, both at home and living abroad, criticized this decision. Twenty-five lawmakers, mostly from the ruling National People's Party and their friends, said no to the bill. These lawmakers stopped Gambians living in other countries from voting despite how much money these overseas citizens send back home to help the national economy.
People against this decision include opposition lawmakers and supporters of Gambians abroad who believe everyone deserves a voice. NAM Madi Ceesay from Serekunda West called it taking away people's rights. Others pointed out how these same lawmakers...
His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued talking about the Battle of Khaibar. He described an attempt to kill the Holy Prophet Muhammad through poisoned meat after the battle ended. The Holy Prophet showed amazing kindness toward the Jewish people despite this attack. He let them stay in Khaibar under a peace treaty and forgave them for their actions against Muslims.
A Jewish soldier's wife named Zainab cooked roasted meat as a gift for the Holy Prophet. Several companions sat with him when she brought this food. Everyone took some meat at first. The Holy Prophet quickly told everyone to stop eating because he realized the meat contained poison. Unfortunately, he and some companions had already tasted it by then. One companion...
