President Adama Barrow has suspended all foreign travel for himself and the entire government with immediate effect for the remainder of the year 2023, according to a statement from the presidency released on August 19th.
In a bid to reduce public expenditures, the Gambian President has suspended all foreign travel for himself and all ministries until the end of the year. “President Barrow has signed an executive order suspending all foreign travel for the President, Vice-President, Ministers, senior officials, civil servants, and employees of all government institutions and agencies,” the presidential statement read.
According to the briefing note, this decree by the head of state is aimed at cutting the country’s public spending. However, meetings where Gambian participation is mandatory and trips abroad fully funded by external sources are exempt from this decision.
According to a joint analysis by the World Bank and the IMF completed in November 2022, the risk of the country’s debt becoming unsustainable is high. In 2022, the public debt stood at 83.9% of GDP.
