· Government action
ProPublica reports US ambassador raised aid while pressing Gambia to approve Starlink
What he said or did
ProPublica reported that US Ambassador Sharon Cromer raised US aid, including a $25 million electrical project under review
, while meeting Gambia's communications ministry about Starlink's licence, and later wrote to the president urging him to facilitate the necessary approvals for Starlink to commence operations.
Background
Deputy minister Hassan Jallow said The implication was that they were connected
; ProPublica reported similar US diplomatic support for Starlink in Lesotho, Djibouti, Bangladesh and Cameroon.
Official response
The State Department said Starlink has been a game changer
and Any patriotic American should want to see an American company's success on the global stage
; White House spokesman Harrison Fields said President Trump will not tolerate any conflicts of interest
(ProPublica). Starlink did not respond.
What happened next
As of May 2026 Gambia had still not given final approval; Minister Lamin Jabbi said he had refused to approve a VSAT permit for Starlink, saying it needed a general satellite licence instead (Space in Africa).
Sources
- ProPublica15 May 2025
- Space in Africa20 May 2026
This entry records what was publicly said or done, as reported by the sources above. Quotes are attributed to the person who made them.
