On Dec. 1, 2016, Gambians elected former real estate investor Adama Barrow as their new president in a landmark election that saw the defeat of President Yahya Jammeh.
Before his defeat at the hands of Barrow, the autocratic Jammeh ruled the Gambia for more than two decades. Jammeh seized power in the Gambia in 1994, after a bloodless military coup and thereafter maintained an iron grip over the political fortunes of the country.
As President, Jammeh regularly made elaborate pretensions of conducting democratic elections, but in practice, the Gambia remained under his tyrannical grip and he ruled the country like a private estate under his every whim.
Barrow’s election victory was the breath of fresh air Gambians needed, and since coming to power, he hasn’t disappointed. The new president has moved speedily to institute some significant policy changes to reflect the Gambia’s new status as a true democratic country with respect for the rule of law.
In the three weeks since his inauguration on January 19th, Barrow has reversed some of the most illogical and poorly thought-out policies introduced by the eccentric Jammeh.
Here, Face2Face Africa takes a look at three of the most important policy changes introduced by President Barrow.
