Follow the money · Investigation
The Meet the People Tour
How much does the President's annual tour really cost?
Comparing parliamentary budget allocations with documented government expenditure.
The President's Meet the People Tour is constitutionally mandated. The accountability question is how much public money is allocated to the exercise, how much is actually spent, and whether expenditure remains within approved appropriations.
Editorial distinction
What we are measuring
The Meet the People Tour is a constitutional function. The purpose of this investigation is NOT to argue that the President is prohibited from conducting the tour. Instead, it examines public expenditure:
- —What Parliament approved
- —What government actually spent
- —Whether expenditure exceeded the approved allocation
- —Whether additional funds came through virement or supplementary mechanisms
- —What the National Audit Office found
- —What government says about the expenditure
Budget allocation ≠ actual expenditure.
2024 — Audited expenditure
D30 million approved. D64.67 million spent.
D30M
Approved
D64.67M
Actual
D34.67M
Above approved allocation
115.6%
Above approved budget
National Audit Office — 2024 Government Accounts
"The 2024 Government Financial Statements audit reported that D64,666,881 was spent on the Meet the People Tour despite a D30 million approved allocation."
((64,666,881 − 30,000,000) ÷ 30,000,000) × 100 ≈ 115.6%
Actual expenditure exceeded the approved allocation by D34,666,881. We are investigating whether additional authorization, virement or supplementary funding was involved.
How the 2024 figure came about
2024 evidence timeline
2023
Government proposes D30 million for the 2024 tour.
2023
National Assembly debates the allocation. 26 NAMs vote against reducing it to D15 million; 15 vote for reduction.
2023
D30 million becomes the approved 2024 allocation.
2024
The President conducts the Meet the People Tour.
2025
National Audit Office audit reports actual expenditure of D64,666,881 — a variance of D34,666,881.
Vote source: Africa Press
Year by year
Approved vs actual, 2020–2026
Chart
Meet the People Tour — approved vs actual spending
Gambian Dalasi. Dashed bars are not as authoritative as audited figures.
Verified years only
Budget overrun
Authorisation
Did additional money come through virement?
Comparing spending against the initial budget is incomplete without knowing whether Parliament or the Finance Ministry later authorised additional funds.
| Year | Original | Virement | Supplementary | Final available | Actual |
|---|
Approved allocations
Growth in the allocation
2026: proposed in budget estimates — not a final approved appropriation.
Context
Why does the tour exist?
The Office of the President describes the Meet the People Tour as a constitutional requirement allowing the President to engage citizens and assess government policies and development programmes.
The 2023 Office of the President announcement says the tour involved community meetings and visits to development project sites covering agriculture, water, education, skills, roads, energy and sports.
Constitutional provision: citation pending verification.
Where did the money go?
Spending by category
No category breakdown has been published — source pending verification
Unanswered
The questions taxpayers deserve answered
- 01What was Parliament's approved allocation each year?
- 02How much was actually spent?
- 03How much additional money was transferred through virement?
- 04Were supplementary allocations approved?
- 05What categories consumed the money?
- 06How much went to accommodation?
- 07How much went to fuel?
- 08How much went to vehicles?
- 09How much went to food and hospitality?
- 10How much went to allowances/per diems?
- 11How much went to security?
- 12How many government vehicles were used?
- 13How many government officials participated?
- 14What was the cost per tour day?
- 15What was the cost per meeting?
- 16What development commitments were made during each tour?
- 17How many commitments were completed?
- 18Is there a published post-tour accountability report?
- 19Did actual spending comply with the appropriation?
- 20What did the Auditor General recommend?
Money spent vs promises made vs promises delivered
Promise tracker
No tour promises documented yet
Government position
What does government say?
No published explanation of the 2024 overspend from the Ministry of Finance or Office of the President has been located yet. It will be added here when found.
Attributed opinion — not established fact
Claims & commentary
Read the documents
Sources
Follow the money. Read the documents. Compare the allocation. Examine the actual spending. Ask where the difference came from.