Amadou Jaiteh, leader of the Peoples Reformist Organisation for Growth, Renewal, Equity, Security, and Social Justice, known as PROGRESS
By Fatou Sillah
Amadou Jaiteh, a presidential aspirant and leader of the Peoples Reformist Organisation for Growth, Renewal, Equity, Security, and Social Justice, known as PROGRESS, said he would make constitutional reform the top priority of his administration if elected in 2026.
In an interview with West Coast Radio, Mr. Jaiteh pledged to restore the 2020 draft constitution prepared by the Constitutional Review Commission, which sought to curb presidential powers and expand citizen participation.
“We are a reformist organization,” he said. “We want to make sure we deal with the law first. We give Gambians the constitution they want immediately—this is the 2020 CRC draft.”
Mr. Jaiteh said that efforts to curb rising living costs and bolster food security would follow the restoration of the draft constitution.
“Gambians do not want to be living in a situation where the cost of living is taking over everything that they work for,” he said, adding that his administration would intervene in markets to bring prices down while pursuing long-term self-sufficiency in food production.
He sharply criticized President Adama Barrow, arguing that his government lacks a “personal vision.” The Barrow administration, he said, has relied on coalition partners and advisers rather than leading with a coherent agenda.
“President Barrow did not come with a vision; he came through a coalition, and when he came in through a coalition, he had people thinking for him,” Mr. Jaiteh said. “I have a vision, and that vision is very plain and simple.”
Mr. Jaiteh said PROGRESS is committed to accountability, a depoliticized system of local governance, and a constitutional framework that reflects the aspirations of Gambians.