Honourable Essa Mbye Faal, leader of the APP-Sobeya party, said in an interview on AG Radio that the current government of President Adama Barrow is focused solely on its own interests rather than those of the Gambians.
“I would like to inform Askani Gambia (All Gambians) that concerning the diaspora voting, this government had a last-minute change of heart regarding the Gambian diaspora voting. They were in a state of panic after realising that if the diaspora voting passes, it is highly probable that the Gambian diaspora will never support them (NPP). That is why, at the last minute, they pulled the plug. They executed everything correctly until the final moment. It is even likely that some national assembly members could have received brown envelopes to vote against the diaspora voting,” Hon. Essa Mbye Faal stated.
“A draft bill cannot proceed to parliament without a sponsor; it must be either a government bill or a private member’s bill. This was a bill proposed by the government. “Everything that has been documented was carried out by this government,” Hon. Faal asserted.
Approximately 260,000 Gambians reside in the diaspora. A significant portion of this number consists of individuals with families, resulting in nearly 300,000 Gambians residing in the diaspora. If the diaspora decides to register to vote in the upcoming elections, they could represent 20% of the total 900,000 registered voters. The significance of the Gambian diaspora extends beyond mere numbers. Hon. Faal stated that the largest population of Gambians living abroad is in the US, followed by Italy, then the UK, Spain, and Germany.
The government is aware of the locations of Gambians in the diaspora, making the organisation of diaspora voting a manageable task. “The government claims there is a logistics issue preventing this, but I assert that there are no logistics problems,” Hon. Faal stated.
Who are the members of the Gambian diaspora, and what significance do they hold for Gambia? Enquired Hon. Faal. In 2019, the Gambian diaspora sent remittances to The Gambia, which accounted for 15.6% of the country’s GDP. In 2019, the government praised the diaspora for their contributions. This inspired and motivated the diaspora to achieve even greater things. By last year, 2024, the Gambian diaspora sent $776 million in remittances to Gambia, which accounted for a significant 31% of the country’s GDP. The official amounts indicate that, when considering informal transfers of remittances, this figure could rise to $1 billion, representing nearly 40% of Gambia’s GDP. “That is huge,” stated Hon. Faal.
“This indicates that the remittances from the Gambian diaspora exceed the total of all foreign aid and foreign direct investments combined.” Additionally, as of 2019, 16% of households in Gambia were receiving their (Depass) or a significant portion of their subsistence, support, and maintenance from the Gambian diaspora. “At the moment, my guest is that it would be around 20%,” Hon. Faal added.
“If the remittances from the Gambian diaspora were to cease, one in every five households in Gambia would face significant hardship, and this is a grave concern.” In addition, the Gambia diaspora contributed to approximately 74 projects in the country in 2024 alone, resulting in around £500,000 in investments, which yielded returns of about £4 million and created hundreds of jobs. “These examples clearly illustrate the significance of the Gambian diaspora,” Hon. Faal concluded.
