By Fatou Sillah
Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Seedy Keita has expressed confidence that President Adama Barrow’s pledge to increase civil servants’ salaries by 30 percent would be implemented in 2027 if the government secures another term in office, saying the commitment is backed by the administration’s ongoing efforts to strengthen public finances.
In an interview with West Coast Radio, Mr. Keita said the proposed salary increase would depend on the government’s fiscal position but insisted that the administration remains committed to improving the earnings and living standards of public sector employees.
“I think the President’s promise to the Gambians will be fulfilled, inshallah. We are hopeful come January 2027. Fiscal space permitting, ways and means will be found to implement the President’s promise to the Gambians,” Mr. Keita said.
He rejected suggestions that the pledge was solely an election campaign promise, arguing that the government has consistently prioritized improving compensation for public servants.
“It’s not just a political campaign promise because the government’s belief and the president’s directive have always been to pay civil servants and public sector employees well so that they have a living wage and a decent income for a better livelihood,” he said.
Mr. Keita attributed the government’s ability to raise public sector wages to a series of revenue administration reforms rather than the introduction of new taxes. According to the minister, initiatives including the rollout of digital tax stamps, fuel-marking systems, improvements in rental tax collection, electronic value-added tax invoicing, and revenue assurance measures in the telecommunications sector have strengthened domestic revenue by reducing leakages and improving tax compliance.
He said those reforms have enabled the government to increase civil servants’ salaries by 110 percent since President Barrow took office in 2017 and by 60 percent since 2022.
“And I’m sure the public servants have now felt that, and that trajectory is on course, so let them just vote,” Mr. Keita said.
President Barrow has pledged a further 30 percent salary increase for civil servants if he is re-elected in the Dec. 5, 2026, presidential election. Mr. Keita said the administration expects to finance the proposed increase through continued improvements in revenue collection, subject to available fiscal space.
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