The Gambia Country Focus Report

Reporting period covered: June 2025 – May 2026

Between June 2025 and May 2026, The Gambia witnessed some level of economic progress, while its democratic reforms stalled. A key issue is that President Barrow announced he would seek a third term in the December 2026 elections. These elections have been made possible because of the National Assembly’s repeated rejection of a new constitution on 7 July 2025. The debate surrounding the bill was highly polarised, with disagreements over key provisions, including presidential term limits and the balance of executive powers. As a result, The Gambia continues to be governed by the 1997 Constitution, which does not impose presidential term limits and leaves several governance reforms proposed under the draft constitution unimplemented.

The defining scandal of the reporting period was the sale of former dictator Yahya Jammeh’s forfeited assets. A report alleging insiders were reselling the assets far below value sparked the youth movement Gambians Against Looted Assets (GALA) and a Banjul protest that ended in nearly 30 arrests. The National Assembly did eventually order a serious investigation, producing a critical report on governance failures, but the original protesters are still on trial. When GALA marked its own anniversary a year later in May 2026, police arrested 15 more members despite their having a valid permit. Meanwhile, a new criminal law revived a "false publication” offence from the Jammeh era, a cybercrime bill raised similar surveillance concerns. The government recently moved to license journalists in April 2026 and even prominent social media users, prompting press groups to refuse to even join the consultation. Police also gained broader warrantless-arrest powers under a new Criminal Procedure Act. On top of this, the Auditor General was abruptly removed just three years into a nine-year post after refusing a sideways demotion, fuelling allegations of preferential treatment for those close to power.

Economically, the outlook is a little more positive: growth hit an estimated 5.9% in 2025, debt-to-GDP fell, inflation dropped into single digits, and extreme poverty edged down. However, this progress has occurred alongside a political system that keeps failing to lock in real accountability as the country heads into a contested election in December 2026 with a fragmented opposition and a president whose own third-term bid triggered much of this scrutiny in the first place.