Gambia’s 2027 Budget: President to Earn D3.06 Million as Chief Justice Gets 27% Pay Increase

By Staff Writer

President Adama Barrow’s annual base salary will remain at D3.06 million in 2027, while the Chief Justice is set to receive a 27.4 percent increase, according to workforce figures contained in the government’s 2027 budget estimates.

The Chief Justice’s base salary is budgeted to rise from D941,850 in 2026 to D1.2 million in 2027, making the office the notable exception among several senior government positions whose salaries remain unchanged.

The Vice President and Speaker of the National Assembly are each budgeted to receive D1.8 million in base salary, the same as in 2026.

Each of the 21 ministers listed in the estimates is budgeted at D780,000 annually, bringing their combined base salaries to approximately D16.4 million.

A minister’s annual base salary is equivalent to about 25.5 percent of the President’s.

At D3.06 million, the President has the highest fixed salary among the senior political and judicial officeholders examined in the estimates.

The Office of the President has 419 staff positions, with total salaries budgeted at D38.28 million, an increase of about 4.1 percent from D36.78 million in 2026.

Several senior presidential aides are also among the better-paid officials at State House. The Chief of Staff is budgeted at D780,000—the same base salary as a Cabinet minister—while the Secretary to the Cabinet is allocated D744,720.

Four special advisers are each budgeted at D376,008, while three deputy advisers are allocated D342,000 each. The National Security Adviser is budgeted at D417,300 and the deputy National Security Adviser at D360,000.

The President’s Household Division has 157 positions with salaries totaling D10.99 million, an increase of 8.7 percent. The division includes cooks, stewards, gardeners, nurses, and maintenance workers.

The estimates do not separately itemize personal allowances for the President. An allowance allocation of D95.5 million appearing in the section is attributed to the State Intelligence Service rather than the President.

Other costs associated with the presidency are detailed elsewhere in the budget. Funding for presidential visits to the provinces is set to fall by 20 percent, from D50 million to D40 million. The allocation for the upkeep of State House remains unchanged at D19 million, while funding for the upkeep of the Vice President’s residence doubles from D2.5 million to D5 million.

The Speaker of the National Assembly is budgeted to receive a base salary of D1.8 million.

The estimates also list two allowances specifically under the Speaker’s office: a D360,000 responsibility allowance and a D240,000 professional allowance. Combined with the base salary, those allocations bring the Speaker’s identifiable annual compensation to at least D2.4 million.

Other allowances—including D660,000 for residential expenses, D180,000 for robing and D108,000 for telephone costs—are listed jointly for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, making it impossible to determine from the estimates how much is allocated to each office.

The Deputy Speaker’s base salary remains D1.26 million, in addition to a D300,000 responsibility allowance.

The Majority Leader is budgeted at D1.05 million, while the Minority Leader is allocated D994,500. The Clerk of the National Assembly is budgeted at D819,900, and each of the three Deputy Clerks is allocated approximately D611,000.

Total salaries for members of the National Assembly are budgeted at D50.54 million, unchanged from 2026. The estimates do not specify how many lawmakers that figure covers.

Allowances for National Assembly members and the institution are budgeted at D152.7 million, up slightly from D152.2 million. Among the largest allocations are D34.8 million for members’ basic car allowances, D22.26 million for constituency allowances and D10.08 million for house rent.

The Chief Justice’s base salary is budgeted to increase from D941,850 to D1.2 million, a rise of approximately 27.4 percent.

The office also has specifically listed allowances totaling D1.36 million, including D500,000 in responsibility allowance, D336,000 for house rent and D144,000 for utilities.

Other members of the superior courts remain on a graded salary structure. Supreme Court judges are budgeted at D702,000 each, Court of Appeal judges at D526,500 and High Court judges at D479,700. The President of the Court of Appeal is allocated D585,000.

The Auditor General is budgeted to receive D2,105,104 in 2027, a slight decline from D2,112,854 in 2026.

That base salary is higher than those allocated to the Vice President, Speaker and Chief Justice, although the National Audit Office operates under its own grading structure rather than the civil service scale used for many other government institutions.

Other senior officials listed in the estimates include the Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission at D563,518; the Chairman of the Public Service Commission at D606,060; and the Ombudsman at D483,000, with each deputy budgeted at D434,700.

The Inspector General of Police is allocated D413,124, while Permanent Secretaries are budgeted at D376,008 each. Ambassadors and High Commissioners are listed at annual salaries ranging from D241,572 to D258,482.

The combined allocation for the three members of the Public Service Commission falls sharply, from D3.32 million in 2026 to D1.22 million in 2027. The estimates do not explain the reduction.

Although ministers’ base salaries are clearly listed at D780,000 each, their full compensation cannot always be determined from the estimates because many allowances are pooled with those of other senior officials.

At the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, for example, a responsibility allowance for the “Minister and PS” is budgeted at D6.51 million, an increase of 3 percent, while their telephone allowance is listed at D889,920.

At the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the minister’s house rent allowance is listed at D120,360, while the telephone allowance for the minister and Permanent Secretary is budgeted at D168,504.

As a result, the budget provides a relatively clear picture of senior officials’ base salaries but does not, in every case, allow their total compensation — including allowances and other benefits — to be calculated individually.