{"id":94457,"date":"2026-02-19T17:19:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T17:19:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/government-outlines-2026-priority-areas"},"modified":"2026-02-19T18:52:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T18:52:22","slug":"government-outlines-2026-priority-areas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/government-outlines-2026-priority-areas","title":{"rendered":"Government Outlines 2026 Priority Areas"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"ap-article-header-tag\"> <strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Gambia. <\/strong> <\/span><b>The Ministry of Information, Media, and Broadcasting Services on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, presented the government\u2019s strategic objectives and national priorities for the year during a general press briefing held at the Sir Dawda Jawara Conference Centre.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The briefing provided a comprehensive update on key government activities, policy directions, and development targets for the 2026 calendar year.<\/p>\n<p>Addressing journalists, the Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, Ismaila Ceesay, reaffirmed the government\u2019s commitment to citizen engagement, referencing the president\u2019s nationwide \u201cMeet the People\u201d tour, which has covered seven regions and focused on accountability and public feedback.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Ceesay reported significant progress in infrastructure development, noting that more than 1,200 kilometers of roads have been constructed since 2017, with an additional 500 to 2,000 kilometers planned. He also highlighted investments in energy and water, stating that electricity access has reached 90 percent nationwide, alongside continued subsidies for citizens.<\/p>\n<p>On the economy, the minister said the country is projected to record a 5.9 percent growth rate by year\u2019s end, while fiscal reforms have helped reduce the budget deficit to nearly one percent.<\/p>\n<p>He further outlined improvements in the health sector, including an expansion of the national ambulance fleet from 60 to 170 vehicles and the construction of new health facilities. In education, he said the government has built 6,000 classrooms and more than 400 schools, with a focus on extending access to rural communities.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Ceesay also cited governance reforms, including the establishment of a national misinformation and disinformation response center, as well as the passage of data protection and anti-corruption legislation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverybody contributed to the success of this country. We all should be proud of ourselves,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Also speaking at the briefing, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sering Modou Njie, confirmed that nine Gambian citizens have died in Russia, adding that investigations are ongoing to verify reports suggesting the death toll could be as high as 20.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs of now, our mission in Russia has managed to establish that nine Gambian citizens were confirmed dead,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>According to Hon. Njie, The Gambia\u2019s mission in Moscow is working closely with Russian authorities to determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths and to facilitate the repatriation of the remains.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are working with the Russian side to make sure that at least, you know, support can be done in terms of whether we can have the bodies, the remains of the citizens, so that they can be repatriated to the Gambia here,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n<p>He stressed that the investigation remains ongoing and that the government is seeking to verify the higher figures being circulated. \u201cThe reports are not yet conclusive, but efforts are underway with the Russian authorities to establish whether the number could be 20,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ap-article-footer-note\">Find more news and analyses on <span class=\"ap-highlight-country\">Gambia<\/span> on the <span class=\"ap-highlight-brand\">Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Gambia. The Ministry of Information, Media, and Broadcasting Services on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, presented the government\u2019s strategic objectives and national priorities for the year during a general press briefing held at the Sir Dawda Jawara Conference Centre. The briefing provided a comprehensive update on key government activities, policy directions, and development targets [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":94456,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-94457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Government Outlines 2026 Priority Areas - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"-article-header-tag&quot;&gt; Africa-Press - Gambia. 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