The Gambian government declared its loss in a court case against West African Aquaculture Limited (WAA) in a press release dated March 29, 2024. The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), situated in Paris, rendered a ruling requiring the Gambia Government to reimburse £20 million for activities undertaken during the administration of former President Yahya Jammeh.

The Gambia government announced that a verdict on the legal dispute between the government and West African Aquaculture Limited (WAA) has been issued by the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) in Paris. In the lawsuit, Mr. and Mrs. Hansson’s WAA Shrimp Farming company in the West Coast villages of Pirang and Sanyang is being taken over. On June 3, 2015, former President Yahya Jammeh carried out this expropriation.
But after fruitless negotiations and the 2017 government transition, the owners of the WAA sent the case to ICSID for arbitration. The tribunal found that former President Jammeh’s actions were illegal after nearly six (6) years of deliberation. The Gambia Government was then ordered to pay WAA eight million seven hundred thousand two hundred and thirty-three British pounds sterling (£8, 700, 233.00) in damages. Additionally, from June 3, 2015, to the date of payment, plus costs and legal fees, there will be an annual compound interest rate of 8% on the stated amount. The government stated that the entire compensation exceeds Twenty Million British Pounds Sterling (£20 million).

The statement went on to explain that the ruling in this case underscores the consequences of former President Jammeh’s “temperamental” and “arbitrary” decision-making, as well as his “reckless” disdain for the Rule of Law, which continue to negatively impact the current administration.
The Gambia government is taking into consideration a number of options in light of this outcome, including but not limited to appealing the tribunal’s ruling. Notably, the Barrow administration continues to pay compensation for cases of this nature that have been handed down by international tribunals against the government. Among these cases are ALIMANTA S.A., the former operators of The Gambia Groundnut Cooperation, whose foreign management was forcibly detained and banished by Mr. Yahya Jammeh in 1998.

In addition to acknowledging these large financial losses, the government’s statement highlights President Adama Barrow’s resolve to refrain from administrative overreach, particularly with regard to foreign companies doing business in The Gambia. It also exhorts government employees and agencies to do their official duties with constant good faith, moderation, and respect for due process.