The primary legislation is clear: The Anti-Corruption Act, 2023 was passed by the National Assembly to establish a robust legal framework to prevent, investigate, and prosecute corruption within both the public and private sectors in The Gambia.
The law exists. The mandate is unambiguous. The operationalization of the Anti-Corruption Commission is fundamental to our democracy, our economy, and public trust.
So why the delay?
Since 2023, citizens have waited. Yet the Commission remains non-functional…
The cost of inaction is visible every day:
Every dalasi lost to corruption is a child without a textbook, a patient without medicine, a farmer without fertilizer, a graduate without a job. The Auditor General’s reports continue to flag billions unaccounted for while impunity persists.
The government of the day should make it happen immediately.
We call for 2 urgent steps before 30 June 2026, International Day of Parliamentarism:
- Fund the Commission: Table a supplementary appropriation to provide startup and operational funds under National Assembly oversight, not Executive control.
- Issue Regulations & Open Doors: Gazette the rules of procedure, recruit technical staff, and begin investigations. A Commission on paper deters no one.
The Gambia ratified the AU Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption and UN Convention Against Corruption. Passing the 2023 Act was step one. Operationalization is the real test of political will.
Parliament did its job by legislating. Now Parliament must use its oversight power to ensure the law lives. Civil society, media, and citizens must keep demanding action.
Corruption fights back, but accountability fights harder. Let us not mark another International Day of Parliamentarism with promises. Let us mark it with a functioning Anti-Corruption Commission.
