Gambian president, Adama Barrow will on Saturday be officially sworn in at the Independence Stadium in Banjul, the country’s capital.

The inauguration coincidentally falls on The Gambia’s 52nd Independence Day celebration.

US Department of State, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield is ecpected to be at the event.

Barrow had taken his first oath of office in Dakar, at the Gambian embassy in Senegal after former President Yahya Jammeh refused to leave office.

He was sworn-in by the head of The Gambian bar association.

This second oath will be administered by the new Chief Justice, Justice Hassan Jallow. </s> File: The official inauguration of Adama Barrow as Gambian president takes place on Saturday. Photo: Seyllou / AFP

BANJUL - The Gambia will officially swear in Adama Barrow as president at the Independence Stadium in Bakau on Saturday.

Barrow first took his oath of office in a makeshift inauguration ceremony in Senegal last month.

His inauguration brings an end to 22 years of oppression under Yahya Jammeh, who was forced to go into exile after refusing to concede the election.

Barrow inherits an insolvent economy, with a more than 40 percent unemployment rate. </s> New Gambian President Adama Barrow is due to be formally inaugurated in the capital Banjul where celebrations will mark 52 years of the west African country’s independence.

Mr Barrow was sworn in last month at a ceremony at the Gambian embassy in neighbouring Senegal.

Long-time ruler Yahya Jammeh had refused to step down despite his electoral defeat.

Under pressure from regional powers, he went into exile in Equatorial Guinea.

Adama Barrow is only the third president in the history of The Gambia.

He has promised a new dawn for the country, which was ruled with an iron fist by Yahya Jammeh.

Mr Jammeh was voted out in December but he only agreed to step aside when regional powers sent in troops ready to remove him by force.

Many political prisoners have already been freed and The Gambia is set to rejoin international institutions such as the International Criminal Court and the Commonwealth.

BBC West Africa correspondent Thomas Fessy says that thousands of people are expected to attend the ceremony at the main stadium in the capital Banjul. </s> President Adama Barrow is set to return to The Gambia on Thursday after his predecessor Yahya Jammeh finally quit power under threat of a military intervention, west African political sources said.

A source close to the Senegalese presidency and a diplomatic source in The Gambia’s capital Banjul on Wednesday confirmed the announcement made on a Facebook page linked to the new president that Barrow is due to arrive on Thursday at 4:00 pm (1600 GMT). </s> Adama Barrow has been sworn as President in Banjul, the Gambia’s capital.

The occasion was witnessed by thousands of people at the independence stadium.

It is the second time Mr Barrow is taking the oath of office.

The first time was at a very low-key event at the country’s embassy in Senegal, January, after a lengthy power struggle with the former President, Yahya Jammeh.

Mr Barrow is the third president in the history of the Gambia, and the celebration is also marking 52 years of the country’s independence.

Jammeh had refused to accept election results but finally left after mediation by regional leaders and the threat of military intervention.

The former President eventually flew into exile, ending his 22 years in power. </s> Acting President of Nigeria Yemi Osinbajo has led the Presidents Of Liberia, Ellen Sirleaf to the inauguration ceremony for Gambia President, Adama Barrow.



Other high profile dignitaries across the African continent as well as other parts of the world that attended the ceremony include Presidents of Ivory coast, Alassane Ouattara, Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

The new Gambian president Adama Barrow was ormally inaugurated today, February 18, at the Independence Stadium in the capital, Banjul.

Barrow was sworn-in by the new Chief Justice, Justice Hassan Jallow.

The official swearing-in of President Barrow has also been tied to The Gambia’s 52nd Independence Day celebration. </s> DAKAR, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Gambian President Adama Barrow, who was inaugurated in neighbouring Senegal as mediators engineered an exit deal for predecessor Yahya Jammeh, is to return to Gambia on Thursday, a senior aide said.

Barrow will face the task of restoring democratic governance in the sliver-like West African country after 22 years under Jammeh, whose government gained a reputation for the torture and killing of perceived opponents.

"He (Barrow) is leaving tomorrow and will arrive in Banjul at around 4 p.m. (1600 GMT)," aide Amie Bojang told Reuters.

Jammeh pitched Gambia into turmoil in December when he refused to accept his loss in an election to Barrow and demanded a fresh vote.

The former soldier finally stepped down on Saturday and went into exile in Equatorial Guinea under diplomatic pressure given teeth by several thousand West African troops who crossed into Gambia and were poised to enforce the election result.

Many Gambians are angry that Jammeh fled into what they assume to be a luxurious exile rather than face trial for alleged human rights abuses. (Reporting by Emma Farge; writing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg; editing by Mark Heinrich) </s> BANJUL, Gambia – Gambia’s new President Adama Barrow will arrive in the country on Thursday, a week after he was sworn into office in neighboring Senegal, officials with the new government confirmed Wednesday.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press about the matter.

Gambians eagerly await Barrow, who has promised to reverse many of the actions of longtime leader Yahya Jammeh. Barrow defeated Jammeh in December elections that the ruling party challenged.

Jammeh finally flew into exile over the weekend after international pressure, ending a more than 22-year rule. He has been accused by rights groups and others of leading a government that suppressed opponents with detentions, beatings and killings.

A West African regional military force that was poised to oust Jammeh if diplomatic talks failed has been securing Gambia for Barrow’s arrival. He has requested that the force remain in Gambia for six months, but it is unclear whether heads of state with the regional bloc known as ECOWAS will approve a deployment of that length.

Barrow has been waiting in Senegal, where he took the oath of office at Gambia’s embassy amid fears for his safety.

He has been busy this week forming his Cabinet and has named a woman, Fatoumata Tabajang, as vice president. She has vowed to seek prosecution for Jammeh, who flew with family and close aides to Equatorial Guinea.

On Tuesday, Gambia’s lawmakers lifted the country’s state of emergency and revoked a three-month extension of Jammeh’s term, as the new government began dismantling his final attempts to cling to power. </s> Adama Barrow has been sworn in as president of The Gambia at a ceremony attended by African and western diplomats in Senegal.

His inauguration at the embassy of The Gambia in Dakar was as a result of the refusal by Yahya Jammeh to relinquish power despite his defeat at the presidential election of December 1.

Mr. Barrow used his first speech in office to call on the Gambian security forces to “remain loyal to the constitution” and stay in their barracks, according to a report by the BBC.

He said soldiers found outside with firearms would be considered rebels.

“From today on I am the president of The Gambia regardless of whether you voted for me or not,” he said.

Mr. Barrow said his election was an opportunity for Gambians to “effect change that has been in the making for decades” and pledged “liberty and prosperity for everyone” regardless of ethnicity or gender.

He also vowed constitutional and legal reforms and said his election was the start of a meritocratic Gambia where “what you know” will count for more than “who you know”.

Governments around the world have been communicating their recognition of Mr. Barrow as the new president of the tiny West African nation of 2.8 million people.

The United Kingdom, in a statement by its Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, congratulated the new president, saying his election “were free and fair, and an orderly expression of democratic choice by the Gambian people”.

They represent a new chapter in the country’s history and an opportunity for change in The Gambia, it said.

 The UK paid tribute to the “decisive leadership shown by the West African regional body, ECOWAS, and the supportive role played by the African Union in ensuring that the democratic wishes of the Gambian people will be respected”.

It said it was “vital that former President Jammeh now stands aside to allow an orderly transition”.
Adama Barrow is sworn in as the Gambia's new President at the Gambian embassy in Dakar, Senegal.