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The Ministry of Youth & Sports (MoYS) today begins a ten-day nationwide, policy-oriented town hall meetings tour, aimed at strengthening youth empowerment and sports development through inclusive, evidence-based dialogue. The nationwide engagement is being led by the Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr. Bakary Y. Badjie , with support from the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Bulli Dibba, alongside heads of satellite institutions and senior technical staff of the Ministry. Covering all regions of the country, the tour adopts a participatory and whole-of-society approach, bringing together young people, sports stakeholders, civil society organisations, private sector actors, traditional leaders, and government representatives. The objective is to collectively shape practical, responsive, and locally grounded youth and sports policies.

The Honourable Minister of Youth & Sports, Bakary Y. Badjie, yesterday received a delegation from Children’s Foundation The Gambia (CFG), First Drop Initiative Manduar, and Monte Pacini for a briefing on preparations ahead of the official launch of the Stories of Hope Project scheduled for next week. The delegation informed the Minister about the five‑year initiative, which aims to educate Gambian youth on the dangers of irregular migration (“backway”) through real-life storytelling, skills development, and community engagement. The visit was led by Mr. Nfamara Dabo, Chairman of Children’s Foundation The Gambia, who provided an overview of the foundation, the project concept, and its expected contribution to national efforts to address irregular migration. Mr. Musa Darboe, author of First Drop and founder of First Drop Initiative Manduar, also shared his personal experience with irregular migration. He expressed his commitment to using his story throughout the project to inspire young people to pursue skills development and safer, legal pathways to travel. Representing Monte Pacini, Mrs. Elisabetta Baldassarri, President of the organization, expressed their readiness to support both the launch and implementation of the project, highlighting their longstanding dedication to youth development initiatives in Italy and abroad. In receiving the delegation, Hon. Badjie welcomed the team and commended them for designing such an impactful initiative. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting programmes that equip young people with knowledge, skills, and safe opportunities at home. The meeting concluded with Mr. Carlo Pagliacci presenting a letter from the Mayor of the City Council of Fermo, Italy, confirming the council’s commitment to partner in the project.

The Honourable Ministry of Youth & Sports , Bakary Y. Badjie, yesterday received a delegation from Children’s Foundation The Gambia (CFG), First Drop Initiative Manduar, and Monte Pacini for a briefing on preparations ahead of the official launch of the Stories of Hope Project scheduled for next week. The delegation informed the Minister about the five‑year initiative, which aims to educate Gambian youth on the dangers of irregular migration (“backway”) through real-life storytelling, skills development, and community engagement. The visit was led by Mr. Nfamara Dabo, Chairman of Children’s Foundation The Gambia, who provided an overview of the foundation, the project concept, and its expected contribution to national efforts to address irregular migration. Mr. Musa Darboe, author of First Drop and founder of First Drop Initiative Manduar, also shared his personal experience with irregular migration. He expressed his commitment to using his story throughout the project to inspire young people to pursue skills development and safer, legal pathways to travel. Representing Monte Pacini, Mrs. Elisabetta Baldassarri, President of the organization, expressed their readiness to support both the launch and implementation of the project, highlighting their longstanding dedication to youth development initiatives in Italy and abroad. In receiving the delegation, Hon. Badjie welcomed the team and commended them for designing such an impactful initiative. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting programmes that equip young people with knowledge, skills, and safe opportunities at home. The meeting concluded with Mr. Carlo Pagliacci presenting a letter from the Mayor of the City Council of Fermo, Italy, confirming the council’s commitment to partner in the project.

The Ministry of Youth & Sports is pleased to welcome Mr. Bulli M. Dibba as its new Permanent Secretary. A seasoned civil servant, Mr. Dibba brings decades of experience in public administration, having served in several senior leadership positions across government. He has previously held key roles as Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Interior, Lands, Ministry of Defence, Office of The President and the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare, where he played an instrumental role in policy coordination, administration, and national development initiatives. He served as Deputy Head of Mission and Head of Chancery of the Gambia High Commission in Sierra Leone from September 2020 to December 2025. Mr. Dibba holds a bachelor’s degree in finance (BS), a master’s degree in business administration (MBA), a Masters degree in Public Administration Nonprofit (MPNA) and a master’s degree in international development (MSc) Known for his dedication to public service and strong leadership, Mr. Dibba’s wealth of experience is expected to strengthen youth empowerment programs and advance the development of sports in The Gambia. The Ministry congratulates Mr. Bulli Dibba on his redeployment and looks forward to his contribution to building a vibrant and impactful youth and sports sector.

The Ministry of Youth & Sports , led by Honourable Minister Bakary Y. Badjie, Tuesday held a press conference to brief the media on the progress of the Independence Stadium renovation and to clarify audit concerns. The Minister explained that although the project was launched in January 2023 but actual works commence in June 2023, making the effective work period about two and a half years and not five years, as widely claimed. He also reminded the public that AFCON matches played in 2021 were done under temporary approval, before full redevelopment officially started. On the pitch, Minister Badjie confirmed that the stadium will remain a hybrid pitch . Specialized equipment has now been secured, and an international expert company, Gregori international, has been engaged to handle the technical pitch works, while supervision on the work remain under the Ministry of Transport Works and Infrastructure, Gambia-MOTWI . “The pitch is currently in the grass establishment phase, which involves reseeding and surface dressing to ensure durability and quality. These ongoing works are part of the normal process toward delivering a world-class playing surface” Hon Badjie emphasize. Below are photos highlighting the ongoing works, along with the materials and equipment purchased for the construction and maintenance of the pitch. More updates will be shared in our next edition.  

The Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports shared the following message on his official Facebook page highlighting ongoing grassroots sports development efforts: “More and more sport committees are taking up initiatives to start self-help projects in their sport fields as the Ministry of Youth & Sports encourage sport infrastructure improvement in major sporting centers. The latest is the Kunkujang Keitaya Sport Committee, who, after completing the fencing of their football field, have started a new project to construct Dressing Rooms at their field. As initial funding for this project is primarily from cash donations from myself, Hon. Mod Ceesay, now Minister of Trade and Mr. Amadou Sanneh, I was given the honor to set the ball rolling with the symbolic laying of the first brick for the project. The brief ceremony was held yesterday at the football field during the final of the league named after me. Upon completion, the building will have rooms for the two teams, referees, and an office, with the committee leveraging on monies raised from the gate taken to complete the project.”

The Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports shared the following message on his official Facebook page after participating in the 9th Stake of the Nation Forum (9SNF 2025): “Yesterday, I participated in the 9th Stake of the Nation Forum (9SNF 2025) under the theme “Enhancing Participation in the Productive Sector”. The forum brought together government officials, development partners, the private sector, and members of the diplomatic corps. The focus of this year is the launch of the Biri-Biri Initiative on Sports and Tourism which seeks to use sports to promote tourism between The Gambia and Spain, leveraging on the legacy of legendary Gambian late footballer Momodou Njie Biri Biri. In my introductory statement, I applauded the initiative by the GK Partners, supported by the Ministry of Youth & Sports and Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture with the coordination of the Vice President – The Gambia.”

Today, we celebrate not only the birthday of our Honourable Minister Bakary Y. Badjie but also five remarkable years of purposeful leadership at the Ministry. Since your assumption of office, the Ministry has witnessed visible transformation. From strengthening staff capacity through continuous professional development, to the construction and rehabilitation of football fields across rural Gambia including the “Mboyo” field our impact has been both evident and lasting. The finalisation of the Sports Bill, renewed support to grassroots sports, and sustained assistance to sports associations and federations have further laid a strong foundation for inclusive sports development nationwide. These achievements, among many others, speak volumes about your commitment, vision, and passion for advancing youth development and sports promotion. Under your leadership, the Ministry continues to grow in strength and direction, and you remain a role model whose dedication inspires both staff and stakeholders alike. On behalf of the Permanent Secretary, the entire staff of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and its satellite institutions, we are honoured to associate with you and celebrate you on this joyful occasion. Honourable Bakary Badjie , we wish you a very happy birthday. May the Almighty Allah continue to bless you with good health, wisdom, and renewed strength as you lead us forward into 2026 in this important national crusade. Happy Birthday HM more life, more blessings, and continued success.

The Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports, Hon. Bakary Y. Badjie, on Wednesday officially opened the First National Athletes’ Forum at Paradise Suites Hotel, describing it as a landmark step towards athlete-centred sports governance in The Gambia. Organised by the Athletes’ Commission of the Gambia National Olympic Committee (GNOC), the two-day forum brought together athlete representatives from all 29 National Sports Associations and Federations affiliated with the GNOC. In his keynote address, the Minister praised the GNOC for convening the timely forum and stressed that athletes are key stakeholders, whose welfare, voices, and experiences must shape sports policy, planning, and governance. He highlighted the National Sports Policy as a guiding framework aimed at strengthening governance, improving infrastructure, promoting grassroots and school sports, supporting elite performance, and safeguarding athlete welfare. Hon. Badjie reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to sports development under the leadership of H.E. President Adama Barrow, while also acknowledging ongoing challenges such as athlete welfare, education, career transition, and life after competition. He encouraged open and constructive dialogue during the forum, calling for unity, discipline, and integrity within sporting institutions to ensure sustainable progress. The forum will provide training, facilitate discussions on key athlete-related issues, promote networking and idea-sharing, and generate feedback to inform future policies and programmes of the GNOC, Government, and partners. Paradise Suites Hotel Two-Day National Athletes’ Forum