Verdict: False
Source: Nenneh Cheyassin Kebe (The Spike Show)
Claim Context:
In a promotional trailer for The Spike Show posted on Facebook, Ms. Neneh Cheyassin Secka-Kebe, Vice President of GEP-PPP, claimed that “Out of every 1,000 babies born in The Gambia, 300 die because we have no incubators.” She further stated, “We don’t have adequate hospitals to support mothers who are delivering their babies early.” The video, which featured Ms. Secka-Kebe, was posted by Andy Kermah on February 1st, 2026, and has garnered 46 reactions and 4 shares as of February 3rd, 2026.
Verification:
To verify this claim, InfoChecked conducted a thorough investigation into The Gambia’s neonatal mortality rate. We reviewed multiple credible sources, including recent health data and research articles.
Our findings revealed that the neonatal mortality rate in The Gambia is significant but not as high as the claim suggests. According to The Gambia Demographic and Health Survey 2019-2020, the neonatal mortality rate was 29 deaths per 1,000 live births over the five-year period prior to the survey. Additionally, the infant mortality rate was 42 deaths per 1,000 live births, and the under-5 mortality rate was 56 deaths per 1,000 live births. These figures shows that while neonatal mortality remains a concern, the actual figure is far lower than the 300 deaths per 1,000 births claimed.
Between 2013 and 2019-2020, there was a slight increase in the neonatal mortality rate from 22 to 29 deaths per 1,000 live births as seen in the picture above. Over the same period, the infant mortality rate increased from 34 to 42 deaths per 1,000 live births, and the under-5 mortality rate rose from 54 to 56 deaths per 1,000 live births. However, the mortality rate for children aged 1-4 years decreased from 20 to 15 deaths per 1,000 live births.
Additionally, research conducted by MRC Unit The Gambia in 2024 at LSHTM as part of the Maternal and Newborn Health Research program shows that the country continues to face challenges in improving maternal and newborn health. The report points out that the neonatal mortality rate is 29 deaths per 1,000 live births, and while the maternal mortality rate remains high, significant steps are being taken to address these issues through targeted research and improved healthcare policies. The findings from this research further underscore the importance of addressing health system weaknesses but also clarify that the actual mortality rate is not as high as 300 per 1,000 births.
Conclusion:
Based on the evidence gathered, the claim made by Ms. Neneh Cheyassin Secka-Kebe that 300 babies die out of every 1,000 births in The Gambia due to a lack of incubators is false. The actual neonatal mortality rate is 29 per 1,000 live births, not 300. While neonatal mortality remains a concern in The Gambia, the figure presented in the claim is greatly exaggerated.
By Omar Camara