Claim: We brought inflation down from over 9% to 5%
Source: Former Governor of the Central Bank of The Gambia, Bakary Jammeh
Verdict: MISLEADING
In 2017, Gambia witnessed a tectonic shift in its political environment with the shocking defeat at polls of former dictator Yahya Jammeh. A coalition government led by president Adama Barrow sacked the Jammeh–appointed governor and appointed Bakary Jammeh. Jammeh would be removed in September 2020.
In the past few years, Gambia has recorded a significant increase in inflation, shooting up to 18% at one point. Though inflation has dropped significantly, it is still between 9 and 10%— about double the targeted 5%.
Claim
In the second week of April, the former governor of the CBG, Bakary Jammeh, touting the bank’s achievement while he was a governor, claimed he found inflation at over 9% and brought it down to 5%.
“The inflation was above 9% [when I became a governor]. We brought it down to 5%. Covid—19 came, it did not affect inflation. Inflation was [always] 5%,” the former governor Bakary Jammeh said (watch from 36:05 minutes in video above).
Bakary Jammeh was governor of the Central Bank of the Gambia from 2017 to 30 September, 2020.
Fact–check
The data available at the website of the Central Bank has shown that the inflation rate was hovering from 3, 5 to 6% from 2006 to 2016. By December 2016, the month ex–president Jammeh was voted out, inflation was 7.9%. In 2017, when Jammeh was appointed, inflation was at 8.8%. Not above 9% as claimed.
Meanwhile, the inflation was not brought down to 5% upon his appointment, or soon after he was appointed. It was hovering between 6, 7 and 8% from 2017 until April 2020 when it came down to 5.6%. However, it was true that by the time Jammeh left the bank in September 2020, inflation went further down to 5.2%.
In April 2022, inflation went double-digit, shooting from 11.7% to 18.5% in September 2023. It took a nosedive in September 2024 to 10% and further slowed to 9.1% in March 2025.
Verdict: Though inflation did go down to 5% by the time Jammeh left the bank, this was not the average inflation rate during his time as governor.His claim is MISLEADING.
