The Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice dedicated the Year 2025 to promoting and demanding transparency and accountability. During the year, we embarked on several diverse initiatives to promote this agenda. We submitted letters, position papers, public statements, and requests as well as participated in several protests and other measures in demanding transparency and accountability in the public sector.
While we acknowledge the existence of important legal and institutional frameworks such as the Access to Information (ATI) Act 2021, as well as platforms including government press conferences including the Mansa Kunda forum and the appearances of government officials in various public and independent media platforms, these measures have not translated into meaningful transparency or accountability in practice. Across the public sector, compliance remains selective, inconsistent, and often superficial. We regret to state that the year was marked by persistent governance failures, weak enforcement of oversight mechanisms, and growing impunity within the public sector.
A major concern throughout 2025 was the poor implementation of the Access to Information Act. Public institutions routinely failed to proactively disclose information and, in many cases, ignored or unreasonably delayed responses to information requests submitted by citizens, journalists, and civil society organizations. This disregard for the law continues to undermine public trust and weakens citizen participation in governance.
EFSCRJ is further concerned by the continued opacity surrounding major government contracts and transactions. Key agreements including port concessions, infrastructure, mining arrangements, and the sale of both Mile 2 Prisons and Gamcel shares were not properly disclosed to the public. Such secrecy in the management of public resources raises serious concerns regarding fairness, value for money, and potential conflicts of interest.
Oversight and accountability processes were repeatedly undermined. Following a parliamentary inquiry into the Russian oil scandal, the government publicly downplayed the findings and abandoned follow-up actions, effectively neutralizing parliamentary oversight. Similarly, numerous investigative journalism reports exposing corruption, abuse of office, and maladministration were ignored rather than acted upon.
In addition, several parliamentary resolutions, Auditor General’s reports, and police investigations highlighting serious governance failures were left unattended. Where corruption or criminal cases reached the courts, proceedings were frequently delayed for prolonged periods, denying justice and reinforcing impunity.
EFSCRJ also observed a disturbing pattern whereby public officials adversely mentioned in reports or investigations were promoted, redeployed, or quietly shielded from accountability. At the same time, the implementation of recommendations from the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) and the Janneh Commission remained slow, selective, or stalled, with reports of some adversely mentioned individuals returning to public service, while the identity of those interdicted was not publicly disclosed.
The Year 2025 was further characterized by gross inefficiency and abuse of power within public institutions. Several longstanding unresolved matters remained unaddressed, including deaths linked to acute kidney injury since 2022, the reported D35 million received from China in 2017 and deposited into the President’s wife’s account, questionable land allocations to senior officials and politically connected individuals from 2017 to date, and other unresolved corruption-related cases during the year under review.
Of particular concern is the continued appropriation of communal lands, especially in the Kombo regions under the guise of tourism development areas, reserved lands, or layouts, only for such lands to be allocated to privileged individuals or entities. These actions have deprived families and communities of their ancestral lands and livelihoods and reflect serious weaknesses in land governance and executive accountability.
EFSCRJ expresses grave concern over the unconstitutional removal of the Auditor General by the President. This action poses a direct threat to the independence of oversight institutions and undermines the principles of good governance, separation of powers, and the rule of law.
Despite these setbacks, 2025 also witnessed increased public demand for transparency and accountability. Gambians exercised their constitutional rights through protests, information requests, and civic engagement. Regrettably, these democratic expressions were often met with disregard, violent crackdowns, arbitrary arrests, and the imposition of questionable charges on citizens exercising their right to peaceful assembly.
While corruption, abuse of office, disregard for the rule of law, poor service delivery, and human rights violations remained widespread, EFSCRJ acknowledges some positive developments. We welcome the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry into the disposal of Jammeh assets triggered by an investigative report by The Republic and sustained public pressure, including protests led by Gambians Against Looted Assets (GALA) and concerned youths. This inquiry presents an opportunity to uncover the truth, although such transparency should have been provided as early as 2020.
We also welcome the establishment of a coroner’s inquest into the death of Omar Badgie of Mandinari while in police custody and expect that those responsible will be identified and held accountable. Similarly, the creation of the Reparations Commission in 2025 is a positive step, and EFSCRJ looks forward to the delivery of long-overdue reparations to victims of past human rights violations. finally, we also applaud the adoption of a Lands Policy 2026 – 2035, hoping that henceforth land management, acquisition and use will benefit all and not only a privileged few.
EFSCRJ reiterates that transparency and accountability are not optional gestures but constitutional obligations. We call on the Government to fully comply with the law, respect oversight institutions, act on investigative findings, protect civic freedoms, and restore public confidence through genuine accountability. Without this, democratic governance, and the rule of law in the Gambia will remain severely compromised hence national development shall remain weak and retarded.
We remain committed to the promotion of transparency and accountability.
2026 – The Year of Empowerment.
EFSCRJ
