President Barrow inaugurates Joint Transition Team

President Adama Barrow and his Joint Transition Team

The President of the Republic of The Gambia, His Excellency Adama Barrow today, February 15, 2017, inaugurated a ‘Joint Transition Team’ at a ceremony held at his temporal office at the Kairaba Beach Hotel in Senegambia.

The Joint Transition team comprises of current and former Ministers and Vice Presidents. The ceremony brought together dignitaries from the UNDP, Transition Expert, Secretary General, Permanent Secretaries, Executive Members of the Coalition 2016, Media and among a host of others.

“As you know, on 19^th January, I had the honour to be sworn in as the President of the Republic of the Gambia, reflecting the will of the people expressed in free elections,” President Barrow reminded the gathering as he launches the Joint Transition Team.

“We are assembled here today for an important step on our democratic agenda- the inauguration of a Joint Transition Team.”

INAUGURAL ADDRESS OF H.E. ADAMA BARROW PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE GAMBIA 19th January 2017

President Adama Barrow

Fellow Gambians and friends of The Gambia, I am humbled to stand before you to address the whole world on this historic occasion. This is a day no Gambian will ever forget in one’s life time. This is the first time since The Gambia became Independent in 1965 that Gambians have  change their government through the ballot box.

I must take this opportunity to thank the entire electorate of the Gambia and Gambians in the Diaspora for making this day possible.

I thank the entire campaign team of Coalition 2016 and the stakeholders for putting aside their political differences to unite us for the national interest.  

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to register special appreciation to Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia, and the Chairperson of Authority of Heads of States of ECOWAS, for her personal commitment and tireless efforts towards resolving the political crises in The Gambia. The sam sentiment goes to H ;EMuhammadou Buhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E Ernest Bai Koroma, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone and H.E John Draman Mahama, former President of Ghana.

I must also express profound gratitude to ECOWAS, AU, the Security Council of the United Nations and all friendly nations who stood by us during our time of greatest need. 

Civil society calls on Uganda to respect citizens’ rights and media freedom ahead of elections

MEDIA STATEMENT:  Civil society groups are urging Ugandan authorities to respect citizen and media freedoms ahead of the 18 February parliamentary and presidential elections.

In the months leading up to election day, Ugandan authorities have restricted the ability of ordinary citizens, civil society activists and journalists to engage in open debates on sensitive issues such as official corruption, high rates of unemployment, rising costs of living, human rights violations and succession in the presidency, say CIVICUS and the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI).

“It appears that attacks on the media and journalists aim to restrict coverage of events and discussions that appear to challenge the actions and performance of the current government that has been in power for 30 years,” said David Kode, Policy and Research Officer at CIVICUS, a global alliance of civil society organisations. “Worryingly, freedom of assembly of members of the political opposition has also been restricted, while civil society organisations have been intimidated.”