The Interview

Covid–19 in Gambia: get vaccinated or get ready for the third waves

The Gambia could experience its third wave of Covid-19 in January 2022, according to health experts. Despite this fear though, the people are not taking the vaccines. It has been 7 months since vaccination started in the country but only about 11.8% took their jabs. A recent survey done by the Afrobarometer has indicated that 7 in every 10 Gambian believe that prayer is more effective than a vaccine in preventing COVID-19 infection. And 5 in every 10 Gambian think prayer is “much more effective”. The health ministry is currently conducting a study to understand what is influencing vaccine hesitancy. In the past...

Saikou Jammeh, former GPU Secretary General

To a lot of people, Saikou Jammeh is probably one of the finest Gambian journalists of his generation. A former Daily News editor, Mr Jammeh worked for various international news organisations and wrote critical and compelling articles opposing the Jammeh dictatorship. Unlike others, he never went into exile. For the past five years, he has been at the helm at GPU, and credited for the many transformative institutional reforms that have made the Union a force to be reckoned with. Last month, Mr Jammeh caused a huge ripple in otherwise calm waters when he announced he was leaving the GPU...