The President who approves everything

By Dr Malang Faye

In The Gambia, there is one man who can say yes to almost anything. President Adama Barrow lays foundation stones. He commissions roads. He launches ferries. He pardons prisoners. He approves projects. He approves mercy. He approves or disapproves the very constitution that defines his power. The title is almost literal. Since taking office in 2017, Barrow has positioned himself as the final signatory on nearly every major national decision. But what does it mean when one man approves everything- and what does he choose not to approve?

Barrow on any given week and you will see a president in constant motion, constantly approving. In April 2026, he inaugurated the 91-kilometre Kiang West highway-the first-ever asphalt-basalt road in an area that had been reachable only through “bumpy road” for generations. Residents recalled journeys to Banjul that stretched into hours.

“What many once dismissed as political rhetoric has now become reality,” as reported by Momodou Jawo of The Point newspaper. The following month, he laid foundation stones for 85 kilometres of roads across three districts in the Upper River Region, connecting 22 remote settlements. Bully Jaiteh, a 73-year-old resident of Julangel, who describes it as “transformative and progressive,” as reported by Momodou Jallow of GRTS. By May 2026, he had launched a road expansion project targeting over 700 kilometres of paved roads across the Upper River and Central River Regions. Then came the ferry. In March, Barrow commissioned a new state-of-the-art hybrid ferry for the Banjul-Barra crossing-one of West Africa’s busiest river transport corridors. Built in the Netherlands, capable of carrying 1,000 passengers and 80 vehicles, it was funded in part by the African Development Bank.

Since 2017, Barrow’s government claims to have invested over GMD 18.5 billion in domestic revenue and delivered more than 1,200 kilometres of all-weather roads. By the end of 2026, they project another 375 kilometres added. “This is what development means,” Barrow said at the Kiang West inauguration. “It is about initiating real change in people’s lives and should be measured, ultimately, not only by the structures we build, but by the lives we improve.” For many Gambians in remote villages, these projects are genuinely transformative. In Niani District, chief Pierre Bah claims the destrict had never benefited from road infrastructure in its entire history.

“We are grateful to Barrow’s administration when it comes to infrastructure development,” he added.

The energy approvals
Another yes the import of energy. Karpower(Turkey) and next Senegal. Barrow’s approval pen has reshaped The Gambia’s energy landscape. In 2018, his government signed a power purchase agreement with Turkish company Karpowership, deploying a floating power ship in Banjul harbour to supply electricity. The contract was extended repeatedly, running for seven years until 2024. Critics have called it “probably the worst power purchase agreement in the history of power purchase agreements.” Development economist Dr. OusmanGajigo alleged the government paid over US$200 million for roughly 30 megawatts of power enough to have built a 200-megawatt permanent power plant that could have electrified the entire country and even exported surplus to neighbours, he argued. Recently, he championed regional energy integration through the OMVG interconnection project, inaugurated in 2021 at Soma. The Gambia now imports electricity from Senegal through this 225kV transmission line. While the interconnection has reduced generation costs by roughly 43% and expanded rural electrification, it has also made The Gambia dependent on its neighbours for power security and the recent power crisis exemplifies it. Yet for many, the energy story is one of missed opportunity: billions spent on a rented ship when a permanent solution was within reach.

The University Approvals
MDI, GTTI and Gambia College Barrow’s approval stamp has also fallen heavily on higher education but not without troubling consequences. In April 2024, his cabinet approved the transformation of The Gambia College into the University of Education, The Gambia (UEG), effective January 2025. Simultaneously, the Management Development Institute (MDI) is being upgraded into the University of Civil Service, and the Gambia Technical Training Institute (GTTI) now the University of Applied Science, Engineering And Technology (USET). On paper, this is ambitious and excellent. In practice, it is raising serious alarm among educators. The Gambia’s existing public university, the University of The Gambia (UTG), already struggles with fundamental quality deficits and financial challenges. Many lecturers are foreign with many hired on visiting or adjunct contracts. Take USET as an example their vice chancellor was an acting head of the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, University of Ilorin prior to her appointment as the Vice Chancellor of University of Applied Science, Engineering and Technology (USET) Gambia in 2024. Interesting right?? The president is saying yes to everything. Against this backdrop, critics ask: where will the qualified staff come from for three new universities? Who knows! The Higher Education Minister has promised “human capacity building” alongside the transformations, but the timeline is impossibly compressed. There are already reports of foreign lecturers being recruited with unclear vetting processes hired to fill gaps that Gambian academics, many of whom lack doctoral qualifications, cannot fill. The risk is clear: institutions rebranded as “universities” without the faculty, infrastructure, or academic culture to justify the title.

The most controversial approvals???
But Barrow’s approval powers extend far beyond concrete and asphalt. His most stunning “yes” came in the form of presidential pardons and they have provoked national outrage. In early 2024, Barrow pardoned 37 prisoners, including convicted rapists, paedophiles, and a murderer, some of whom were on death row. Four of the rape victims were minors. Women’s rights activist Ndey Jobarteh did not mince words: “The most disturbing factor here is the gross disregard of violence against women by the president through the pardon of rapists or [those who commit] femicide. It is sending a message to all rapists that they can rape girls and women and later get pardoned by the president.”The Child Protection Alliance expressed “total rejection” of the decision.

The National Assembly Member for Banjul North Modou Lamin Bah called for a parliamentary probe. The controversy did not end there. In 2026, Barrow granted another presidential pardon- this time to 105 prisoners, reportedly in honour of Yawmul Ashura. The problem, according to human rights activist Madi Jobarteh, is that no list of beneficiaries was made public, no reasons were given and there is serious doubt about whether the constitutionally required Prerogative of Mercy Committee was even consulted. “The Gambia is not a kingdom where a monarch possesses absolute authority to pardon anyone at will,” Jobarteh wrote. “The constitution deliberately places legal safeguards on the exercise of this power because ours is a constitutional republic governed by law, not by the whims and caprices of any individual.”

The one thing he won’t approve???
Here is where the irony deepens. For all his approvals, Barrow has conspicuously failed to approve the one thing he promised most loudly: a new constitution. In 2016, Barrow galvanised popular support against long-time autocrat Yahya Jammeh on pledges of democratic reform. Among them: he would serve only a single term and would seek constitutional reform to institute presidential term limits—a corrective to Jammeh’s repressive 22-year rule. That promise is now broken. Barrow sought and won a second term in 2021. He is now seeking a third term in the December 2026 election. A draft constitution produced by the Constitutional Review Commission after two years of work and extensive consultations – was rejected by Parliament in September 2020. Critics say Barrow and his supporters killed it because it would have counted his first term, preventing him from running beyond 2021. The government then produced its own draft in August 2024-dubbed by critics the “Barrow Constitution”. It was criticised for omitting clear commitments on presidential term limits while expanding executive power. Parliament rejected that too. “The regime made a calculated decision to sabotage the adoption of the CRC draft constitution because Adama Barrow wants to remain in power well beyond two terms and far beyond the one term he had promised,” one analysis concluded as reported in the Africa press (2025-07-15). Barrow’s deputy government spokesperson defended the move: since there are no term limits in the current constitution, seeking further terms is legally permitted. But for many Gambians, the betrayal is not legal—it is moral.

The Rhetoric of a Man Who Says Yes
Barrow’s public statements have also drawn criticism for their tone. In January 2026, he declared during an inspection tour: “When I entered Brufut today, I left something else. I was very, very happy the way Brufut is. Brufut is just like Dubai, believe me.” The comment went viral, sparking widespread mockery. Supporters defended it as rhetorical exaggeration about rapid development. Critics saw it as delusional. More troubling has been his language toward political opponents. In October 2025, Barrow described certain politicians as “vultures”. “A vulture only descends on a carcass or a dying animal that cannot even move its tail,” he said. The remark was flagged as “dehumanising speech” that “can escalate tensions ahead of elections”.

A Leader of Contradictions
Barrow’s record is genuinely mixed. He restored space for civil society and independent media. Press freedom improved nearly 90 places in the global index. The Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission was launched. Roads were built, ferries launched, villages connected. Yet critics argue that “the centre is shaking”. Economic gains appear “disproportionately enjoyed in Banjul and Kombo, with the countryside still struggling”. Constitutional reform has stalled. Transitional justice for Jammeh-era crimes remains incomplete. And the president who promised to limit his own power now seeks to extend it indefinitely. Perhaps the most damning assessment comes from those who see Barrow not as a strategist but as a man adrift: “taking direction from a motley crew of political opportunists”.

In conclusion, as Gambians goes to the polls On December 5, 2026. Barrow is seeking a third term. His opponents, whom he calls vultures, are lining up to challenge him. The president who approves everything has built roads and ferries. He has approved pardons for rapists and murderers. He has refused to approve the constitution he once promised. He has approved his own political survival at the expense of his word. In the end, the most important approval may not be his at all. It will belong to the Gambian people and whether they approve of the president who approves everything.

This article is purely for academic.