Economists Dr. Gajigo and UDP’s Manneh Accuse President Barrow and Ministers of Enabling Corruption
By Makutu Manneh
Dr. Ousman Gajigo, a former African Development Bank (AfDB) economist and founding member of the newly established Patriotic Progressive Alliance (PPA), and Lamin Manneh, the United Democratic Party’s (UDP) Administrative Secretary for External Affairs and also a former AfDB professional, have sharply criticized President Adama Barrow and key members of his cabinet for what they describe as the government’s continued tolerance of corruption.
Their criticism focused particularly on Ebrima Sillah, Minister of Transport, Works, and Infrastructure, and Seedy Keita, Minister of Finance, accusing both of poor governance and disregard for accountability.
Manneh’s comments came in response to Minister Sillah’s dismissal of audit findings that revealed a D377 million discrepancy in a North Bank Region road project. The minister had described the auditors’ report as “misleading and patently false,” claiming that an addendum to the contract accounted for the variation.
Manneh rejected this explanation, arguing that such an addendum reflects poor planning and violations of procurement procedures.
“You cannot just give a contract of D377 million to a contractor on a ride. You are supposed to have fresh bidding for that. Well, yes, you are supposed to do a new project. Do the documentation and preparation and everything and the feasibility, pre-feasibility, and all that stuff. You don’t just get up and do your ride. See, those riders are worth bringing all the corruption,” he stated.
Manneh argued that Minister Sillah should focus on demanding tangible results from his staff, stressing that this underscores the need for performance contracts for ministers and departmental heads.
He further contended that when the president himself undermines accountability by describing audit reports as mere “opinions,” it erodes public trust and weakens institutional integrity. “If the president dismisses the importance of audits, what consequences can we possibly expect?” he asked.
Manneh noted that, given the current trend, the growing reports of corruption within government were hardly surprising and predicted that more revelations would emerge in the coming months. He added that a change in government would likely expose even deeper and previously concealed acts of mismanagement.
Dr. Gajigo, for his part, criticized the state of the country’s youth and sports infrastructure, pointing out that the Ministry of Youth and Sports does not oversee a single functional national stadium, let alone regional or district-level facilities. Despite this lack of progress, he said, the minister continues to enjoy the president’s confidence—a trend he described as common across several ministries.
He emphasized that the root of the problem lies at the top, where the president’s unwillingness to hold his ministers accountable perpetuates corruption and inefficiency.
“We have seen corruption, mismanagement, and questionable behavior under the Ministry of Trade under Seedy Keita and he got promoted to Ministry of Finance, where he is continuing to do even worse,” Dr. Gajigo said.“What the president is saying essentially is, I don’t care how much of the nation’s resources you squander. As long as you support me politically, you can do whatever you want.”