Yahya Jammeh to hand over power by end January- minister

Out going president of The Gambia Yahya Jammeh will hand over power to president-elect Adama Barrow in the latter part of January.

According to the country’s Information minister Sherrif Bojang, authorities in the country are working on the transition.

“We are working on the transition now. They (Barrow’s coalition) will come and we will show them the ropes,” he said in an interview.

He added that Jammeh is currently at his residency at the State House and will meet Barrow in the coming week.

Gambia law calls for a 60-day transition period.

In some parts of the country, people tore down giant billboards of the outgoing president perhaps as a sign of growing confidence of a new political era.

Barrow’s election has raised hopes for reforms in the west African country.

The president elect has promised to reverse Jammeh’s decisions to pull out of both the Commonwealth and the International Criminal Court.

In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Barrow who was officially elected to a five year term said that he would serve only three years, before paving way for new leadership, as he aims to grow democracy in Gambia.

He also promised to revive Gambia’s stagnant economy which heavily depends on the tourism sector but has been reeling since the 2014 Ebola crisis.