The training, followed by mentorship from The Republic, is expected to strengthen accountability journalism in the country ahead of the presidential election.
The Republic, in collaboration with the Gambia Press Union, has commenced a 6-day training for 25 Gambian journalists on investigative journalism, elections reporting and fact-checking.
It forms part of a broader one-year project titled “Strengthening Electoral Integrity and Accountability” funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), meant to empower voters through investigative journalism.
Speaking at the opening on 19 October 2026, GPU vice president Sheriff Saidykhan, said the project is both crucial and timely with less than two months to the hugely anticipated presidential election.
Mr Saidykhan said the training, which also includes sessions on elections reporting and fact-checking, will significantly enhance the capacity of journalists to identify hate speech and fact-check information across media platforms.
Madi Jobarteh, the executive director of the Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice, who delivered the keynote address, said the training is an urgent initiative as the country’s democracy is under siege ahead of the high-stakes December polls.
Mr Jobarteh noted that despite transitioning into democracy nearly a decade ago, impunity and corruption still persist in The Gambia and investigative journalism is essential for the very survival of the country’s democracy.
He urged journalists to verify what politicians say before reporting it and enjoined them to investigate sources of campaign financing.
The Republic’s editor-in-chief, Mustapha K Darboe, set the ball rolling for participants on Day 1 with a session on tracking campaign financing, investigating vote-buying and elections reporting.
