Government to Discuss Media Subvention with GPU and Media Practitioners at Retreat
By Edward Francis Dalliah
The Government of The Gambia, through the Ministry of Information, Media, and Broadcasting Services, has announced plans to meet the Gambia Press Union (GPU) and local media practitioners to discuss the future of media subvention.
During the Ministry’s first monthly press conference of 2025, held on Wednesday, 22nd January 2025, at the Sir Dawda Karaba Jawara Conference Centre, Information Minister Dr. Ismaila Ceesay revealed that discussions on media subvention have been ongoing within the government. The Minister confirmed that a meeting with the GPU is expected to further explore the issue and find a way forward.
The last time Gambian media houses received subvention from the government was back in 2020, after Parliament approved a D15 million subvention channelled via the Ministry of Information and the GPU, who setup a team that managed the award of subvention. This was after Hon. Madi Ceesay for Serrekunda, a former GPU President, championed the move in Parliament for the media to be subvented during COVID-19.
Last year, the Gambia government, through the Ministry of Information, held a series of engagements with the media, which has sparked public concern and questions around the independence of media. Last year, 5 media houses and 2 content creators were given D40 million to “promote the government’s agenda.”
The D40 million contract award to the media was initiated prior to the leadership of current Information Minister Dr. Ismaila Ceesay; however, since then, significant media engagements have been undertaken between the media and the government, such as the Mansa Kunda Townhall meeting and press conferences with the press every two weeks.
The D40 million contract award was widely criticised by the general public, with many critics raising concerns around the transparency and selection criteria for awarding such contracts. Others claimed that such contracts did not provide any value for public funds and were a tool to win over favourable media publicity for the Barrow Government.
Just last week, 15th January 2025, the Ministry of Information issued a statement highlighting that it had terminated the services of Sparkling Media Agency, which was one of the content providers for the aforementioned contract. In fact, an investigation by The Republic titled “Price of publicity: How selected Gambian media get hefty cheques to “portray good image of the government” revealed that Sparkling Media Agency and Fandema Multimedia, which were both awarded contracts totalling D11.225 million, were owned by the same person, Sheikh Omar Sawaneh.
The press release issued last week notes that the Sparkling Multimedia Agency was “on a one-year service contract to provide content popularising the ongoing government projects and initiatives.” It adds that the deliverables by all “media contractors were reviewed before approval of the second payment request when it was realised that “none of Sparkling Multimedia Agency’s deliverables was good enough for media houses to broadcast.”
The statement highlighted that after the Ministry of Justice was contacted for legal advice and recommended for the agreement to be terminated, this was effected back in 2nd September 2024. This was after Sparkling Multimedia Agency failed to meet the Ministry of Information after being sent formal invitations for a meeting.
Since Dr. Ismaila Ceesay became the Information Minister in early 2024, he has cemented a strong relationship with the media, appearing regularly on Coffee Time with Peter Gomez on West Coast Radio. The Information Minister has continued to put up a sturdy defence for the government on numerous media platforms while promoting the government’s development initiatives. This is channelled through the widely watched Mansa Kunda Town Hall and frequent press conferences with the media. His willingness to support the establishment of the Access to Information Commission has also won him support from academics and members of the press.
More recently, on 28th December 2024, just a few days before the New Year, the government organised the “first ever” Presidential Media Dinner, inviting journalists to the State House. This move was also criticised by members of the public and applauded by others. During the Presidential Media Dinner, veteran journalist Pap Saine, who spoke on behalf of the media, urged the government to provide subvention for the media.
Despite the numerous criticisms around the independence of the media, the President appears to have listened to the press back in December 2024, with media subvention now firmly on the discussion table. According to Dr. Ceesay, the government is finding the most suitable means to subvent the media, but as of now they don’t “have anything concrete.” He added that they intend to have a meeting with the GPU, which will be in the form of a “retreat where we will invite all the media houses and have a resolution on the way forward.”
A media subvention is a form of financial support or subsidy provided by a government or other institution to media organisations. The aim of such subventions is typically to promote diversity in the media landscape, support public service journalism, or ensure the sustainability of the media sector, especially in challenging economic conditions.
In The Gambia, media houses face financial challenges, making it difficult to pay staff and buy equipment, amongst others. In countries like Senegal, some of their media houses are currently receiving subvention from the government.
In December last year, a Point Newspaper report highlighted that “Senegalese minister for Communication, Alioune Sall, has announced that the government has increased the Press Development Fund to 4 billion CFA, an equivalent of 464 million dalasis.” While media houses in The Gambia await such support from the government, the growing concerns around their independence continue to surface, especially as the country braces up for elections in 2026.