By: Ousman Saidykhan
Majority of Gambians (52%) are not satisfied with the pace of public sector reforms initiated by the government in 2017 to reorganise the public service as part of its transitional justice and democracy programme, the latest Afrobarometer survey indicates.
The survey indicates that respondents’ dissatisfaction which includes paying bribes is even rift among the best-educated citizens (60%), the wealthiest (57%) and men (55%) than amongst their respective counterparts.
Almost a quarter (24%) of citizens who sought police assistance during the previous year say they had to pay a bribe. Fewer report having to pay a bribe to obtain identity documents (13%), medical care (9%), and public school services (5%).
The report also indicates that some large majorities say the government is doing a poor job of delivering public services such as improving basic health care (79%), water and sanitation (69%), electricity (69%), road and bridge maintenance (68%), and education (67%).
Afrobarometer is a research network that provides data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life.
The network’s team in Gambia, led by the Center for Policy, Research and Strategic Studies (CepRass), interviewed 1,200 adult citizens of Gambia between 30 August and 19 September 2022, it says in a press release.
Respondents were asked about how satisfied they were with the pace of the government’s public sector reforms, entirely.
