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Former Vice President Fatoumatta Jallow Tambajang has said President Adama Barrow lacked the leadership capacity to chair the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), arguing that The Gambia missed an opportunity to lead the regional bloc.
Speaking in an interview with Kerr Fatou, Tambajang argued that The Gambia could not effectively lead ECOWAS under President Barrow’s leadership.
“He is not qualified for it. He doesn’t have the competence as a leader to chair ECOWAS,” she said.
Tambajang also questioned the impact of Barrow’s tenure as chair of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), asking what tangible benefits it had delivered to either The Gambia or the wider region.
“What benefit did he bring? How many years has it been now?” she asked.
She further argued that Barrow had not demonstrated the level of diplomatic engagement expected of a regional leader.
Referring to the 2017 plane crash that claimed the lives of Libya’s foreign minister and members of his delegation, Tambajang said she had not seen a comparable diplomatic response from The Gambia.
“I haven’t heard that The Gambia sent a delegation. Until today, I haven’t heard that he went on a mission, just as Turkey did. When the OIC was chaired by Turkey, every year, every now and then, they organised meetings,” she said.
According to Tambajang, the ECOWAS chairmanship comes with institutional support, including funding for official travel and logistics, but she believes the government failed to take advantage of opportunities that could have advanced the country’s interests.
Highlighting her own regional role, Tambajang cited her appointment by ECOWAS, the Commonwealth and the African Union as chief mediator in Sierra Leone following the country’s disputed 2023 presidential election.
She said the mediation efforts resulted in an agreement between the government and the opposition within three days.
“ECOWAS, the Commonwealth and the African Union appointed me as chief mediator. I went, and within three days, God helped us, and they signed an agreement. Now they are implementing the agreement. The APC, the opposition, has gone back to the government. So I am an international moral guarantor in Sierra Leone,” she said.
Tambajang added that after years of serving other countries in various international roles, she now wants to dedicate her experience to serving The Gambia.
She said her political ambition is driven by a desire to help build a just, democratic and peaceful Gambia.
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