The debate over Gambians abroad gaining voting rights took center stage in Parliament as the Minister for Justice, Hon. Dawda A. Jallow, clarified an amendment to Section 88 of the 1997 Constitution. Speaking to lawmakers on 4th March 2025, he stated that the Constitution allows for 'at least 53' elected members, meaning no amendment is needed to register Gambians living overseas. However, his claim that constituency demarcation is required before registration has sparked debate among pro-Diaspora Vote advocates. So, does the law actually mandate demarcation before registration? Here’s what the facts say.

The Minister of Justice, Hon. Dawda A. Jallow, claimed that the Draft Constitution would have addressed inadequacies related to constituencies for Gambians living abroad. However, a thorough review of both the 2020 and 2024 Draft Constitutions reveals that no such provisions exist, contradicting his statement. This raises concerns about the accuracy of his remarks during the consideration of Clause 14 of the Elections Bill 2021. More in the FactCheck report.

In his quest to highlight The Gambia Government’s efforts to promote University education, the Minister for Information, Media and Broadcasting Services claimed that the government “spends D33 million” annually to shuttle University of The Gambia (UTG) students to and from the new Faraba Banta Campus. Our researchers have perused budget documents and received information from the Ministry of Finance proving the Minister’s claim are false.

Speaking at QTV’s This Morning Show, Information Minister Dr. Ceesay claimed that The Gambia is the only country that builds a university and shuttles students to the university. Askanwi factcheckers have found examples across four African countries proving the Minister’s claims are false. More in the factcheck.

President Adama Barrow’s recent claim that The Gambia recorded over 233,000 tourist arrivals in just three months has been debunked by official data. A fact-checking investigation reveals that the actual number is significantly lower, casting doubt on the government’s projections for the 2024-2025 tourist season. More in the report.

While The Gambia’s Information Minister claimed that fiscal and monetary policies have led to a dramatic reduction in onion prices, our investigation found that the actual market prices are still much higher, undermining the minister’s statement. More in this FactCheck.

Information Minister Dr. Cessay claimed that the 2025 Budget allocates over D5 billion to help. Our reporter got hold of the 2025 Draft Budget to highlight that the Minister had it wrong and only D4.8 billion was allocated to Health in 2025. More in this report.

This FactCheck interrogates a misleading headline by a leading newspaper, Foroyaa, claiming that Hon. Njai won a case against the PPP and it’s leadership. After getting hold of the judgment, our reporters brought out the facts and highlighted that the headline was indeed misleading. More in the report.

On the same week of the 2025 Budget Speech, two of the highest-profile officials from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs (MoFEA) have announced that the lowest wage (take home) of civil servants will increase to D6,000 for the lowest Grade 1.1 from January 2025.

Our FactCheckers went to work and sought additional confirmation from the Ministry Of Finance and Economic Affairs Gambia - MOFEA who confirmed our figures for this publication.

Our observation shows that work is still ongoing as streets like Lancaster and Perseverance are still yet to have new pavement. Therefore, Hon Minister Ebrima Sillah’s claim that President Barrow’s government paved all the streets in Banjul is deemed misleading.