By Assan Bah
The Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs has informed the National Assembly that his ministry cannot provide the total amount spent on government-funded travels from January 2023 to August 2024, stating that the ministry does not coordinate official travels.
The Minister made this clarification on Wednesday, 25th June 2025, during the Second Ordinary Session of the 2025 Legislative Year, while responding to a question raised by the National Assembly Member for Kiang West, Hon. Lamin Ceesay. The lawmaker had asked the Minister to provide the number of travels undertaken by government officials between January 1st, 2023 and August 31st, 2024. He further requested that the Minister indicate the ministries and departments the officials represented, and disclose how much was spent on air tickets and per diems for each of the travels, whether partially or fully funded by the government.
In response, the Minister said: “The Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs is not the sole responsible agency for the coordination of travels of government officials, and I would like the NAM to refer the question to the relevant authorities.”
At this point, the Speaker of the National Assembly intervened and said the Office of the Clerk and the appropriate authorities will conduct a review to determine the right institution to answer the question. The Speaker added that the relevant official will be summoned to appear before the Assembly and provide the required answers.
In a follow-up question, Hon. Lamin Ceesay further asked the Minister to tell the Assembly how much was spent on air tickets for the government officials from January 2023 to August 31st, 2024. He asked the Minister to provide the amount spent on each of these travels and specify whether they were funded fully or partially by the government.
However, the Minister maintained: “My earlier answer still applies to this particular question, because we are not the responsible institution coordinating official travels.”
Background
The question of government-funded travel has been a recurring issue in The Gambia. In the past, the Barrow-led administration temporarily banned overseas travel for officials due to rising costs and concerns over unnecessary expenditure. The ban, which was introduced in 2018 and reintroduced at various intervals, was aimed at reducing government spending on foreign trips, which often consumed a significant portion of the national budget, especially in the form of per diems and airfares. The ban was also part of broader efforts to enforce fiscal discipline and prioritise domestic development needs.
