Claim: A Facebook user shared a post claiming that the price of bread, rice, and onions has increased in The Gambia.
Verdict: Mostly false. While the price of bread remains at D12, American rice, though prices vary by location, is cheaper than last year. Also, a bag of onions now costs more in 2026 than in 2025.
Full Text
Sawo Lamin, a Facebook user with 17,000 followers, recently posted a picture of President Adama Barrow with price tags on bread, a bag of American rice, and a bag of onions, indicating rising commodity prices in The Gambia.
He wrote, “Everything is increasing, chie Gambia.” He attached 13 Dalasis to the price of bread, 2,300 Dalasi for a bag of American rice, and 1,100 Dalasis for a bag of onions.
As of July 21, 2026, the post (archived here) had 21 comments and 25 likes.
In the comments section, most did not believe the post. For instance, Camara Saha wrote, “Bag of rice 2300 at where? You should try to be positive when doing politics.”
Another user, Trawarry Musa, also wrote, “American rice D1600 in Basse.”
However, James Gaye, who seemingly believes him, wrote, “My brother, this is good for Gambians; some people are still sleeping.”
DUBAWA decided to verify the claim to establish the facts.
Verification
First, we conducted keyword searches to trace publications on the increase in the said commodities. On July 1, 2025, the price for bread increased from D10 to D12. But since then, there has been no report about a bread price increase. On the other hand, prices for American rice and onions are not fixed.
DUBAWA further spoke to residents in villages and towns across the five regions in The Gambia.
As of July 28, 2026, in Farato, West Coast Region, bread was D12, American rice was D2,150, and a bag of onions was D1,350. In Kerr Jatta, North Bank Region, bread was D12, American rice was D2000, and onions were sold at D1,400.
Residents of Jarra Soma, Lower River Region, said bread is sold for D12, American rice for D1,800, and a bag of onions for D1,200. In Basse, Upper River Region, bread was D12, American rice was D1,660, and onions were D1,300. In Fass, North Bank Region, bread was D12, American rice was D1,800, and onions were D1,400.
While we found that bread prices remained the same at D12 across regions, the price of American rice varied across locations in The Gambia. The price ranged from D1,660 to D2,150, not as high as the claimed D2,300.
These residents also confirmed that, as of March, 2025, rice was priced between D2,200 and D2,300 in Basse, Upper River Region, and between D2,250 and D2,300 in Brikama, West Coast Region. So, compared with what was available in July 2026, this shows that the price of American rice has decreased in those regions.
As for onions, prices varied across locations in The Gambia, ranging from D1,200 to D1,400, which is even higher than the D1,200 the claimant mentioned in his post.
Residents of Basse in the Upper River Region said onions were sold for between D1,200 and D1,300 per bag in February 2025. In Brikama, West Coast Region, it was sold between D1,150 and D1,200. This shows that the price of onions had slightly increased in the West Coast Region and remains within the same range in the Upper River Region.
Conclusion
While the price of bread remains D12 and American rice is cheaper nationwide, a bag of onions now costs more in 2026 than in 2025. The claim is mostly false.
This report was produced under the 2026 Kwame Karikari Fact-checking and OSINT Fellowship, co-hosted by DUBAWA and the Digital Technology, Artificial Intelligence, and Information Disorder Analysis Centre (DAIDAC), with support from the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID).