Gambia Press Union

01/06/2026

19/05/2026

18 May, 2026:

𝐘𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐚 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐆𝐏𝐔) 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠:

⚫ 30 copies of the Simplified Handbook on the Access to Information Act, 2021
⚫ 11 copies of the Cherno Jallow Charter of Ethics for Journalists and Media Operators
⚫11 Copies of the Simplified Guidelines on Access to Information and Elections in Africa
⚫11 Copies of The State of Access to Information and Elections in The Gambia, 2021

The gesture forms part of the GPU's continued support to the implementation of the access to information law. During the presentation, both the GPU and the Information Commission explored ideas for collaboration to strengthen the right to information including capacity building for journalists, engagements with public institutions, and raising public awareness of the ATI law, its utilisation by the public, and its full implementation.

Collaborations on capacity building and public awareness of data protection issues were also discussed.

The presentation was attended by the following:

𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧:
Commissioner Ya Amie Touray
Commissioner John Charles Njie, and
Executive Secretary of the Information Commission Pa Khalifa Sanyang

𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐚 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧:
President Isatou Keita
Secretary General Modou S. Joof, and
Board Member Mariama Bojang.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐜𝐭, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏 serves as an inspiration for the empowerment of everyone who wishes to utilise the law including citizens and residents of The Gambia, journalists, civil society actors, academia, among others. It is not just a reproduction of the access to information (ATI) law, it serves as a practical guide that explains the processes of obtaining information from public institutions and relevant private entities doing business with public institutions and utilising public funds. 𝑳𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒗𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆:..

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨 𝐉𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: Also referred to as the Code of Conduct for Journalists, the Charter serves as a guide for journalists (reporters and editors in all newsrooms) on the right ways of gathering and publishing information. Its General Principles include Truth and Accuracy, Media Freedom and Independence, Accountability and Transparency, Fairness and Respect, Privacy and Human Dignity, Social Responsibility and Public Interest, Protection of Sources and Honesty, and Professional Conduct in Digital Spaces. The Charter's Beat-specific provisions includes reporting on Gender and S*x, Children, Crime and Courts, Elections, Migration and Minority Groups, Online Journalism and Social Media, Broadcast Journalism, Hate Speech, Information Disorder (Mis/Dis/Malinformation), Disability Inclusion, Artificial Intelligence, Environment and Climate Change, and Public Health Emergencies. The Charter is a tool for media accountability. 𝑳𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒗𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆:..

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐚, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏: The report, produced before the advent of the ATI law, specifically focuses on the extent to which relevant electoral stakeholders proactively disclose electoral information using the Guidelines on Access to Information and Elections in Africa, produced by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, as the benchmark to gauge Gambia’s compliance. 𝐀𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14F17lVpvmP9rQTvPC359B875jELVfZv_/view

- 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 is intended to assist all relevant stakeholders in the electoral process, not only in identifying the specific categories of election related information that must be proactively disclosed to the public but also in developing systems and processes for mainstreaming access to information into the entire electoral process. 𝐀𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kjAguNuvyrXNahQs9jA10aersZNBJShm/view

15/05/2026

WATCH!

Full statement delivered by our Secretary General, at the ongoing 87th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR).

Issues raised include:

✅ The absence of political will to protect journalists

✅ Incomplete media law reforms and the creation of new draconian laws

✅ High taxes and levies on media houses

✅ Lack of subsidy for the private media

✅ Harassment and intimidation of journalists

14/05/2026

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐚 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐆𝐏𝐔) 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟖𝟕𝐭𝐡 𝐎𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬’ 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 (𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐏𝐑), 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐥 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝟏𝟏 - 𝟐𝟎 𝐌𝐚𝐲, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔

Read more: https://gpu.gm/statement-by-the-gambia-press-union-gpu-delivered-at-the-87th-ordinary-session-of-the-african-commission-on-human-and-peoples-rights-achpr-held-in-banjul-from-11-20-may-2026/

13/05/2026

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐚 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐆𝐏𝐔) 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟖𝟕𝐭𝐡 𝐎𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬’ 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 (𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐏𝐑), 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐥 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝟏𝟏 - 𝟐𝟎 𝐌𝐚𝐲, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔

Today, our Secretary General, Modou Joof, delivered GPU's statement at the 87th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR).

The GPU raised concerns over press freedom and freedom of expression, including the absence of political will to protect journalists; incomplete media law reforms and the creation of new draconian laws; high taxes and levies on media houses; a lack of subsidy for the private media; the harassment and intimidation of journalists; and a lack of implementation the Access to Information Act, 2021.

Read the Full Statement HERE: https://gpu.gm/statement-by-the-gambia-press-union-gpu-delivered-at-the-87th-ordinary-session-of-the-african-commission-on-human-and-peoples-rights-achpr-held-in-banjul-from-11-20-may-2026/

12/05/2026

Notice:

The Gambia Press Union (GPU) and The Association of Non-Governmental Organizations - TANGO will present and submit a position paper to the National Assembly Select Committee on Education, Training and ICT on the COMMUNICATION BILL, 2025 today between 1:30pm and 4pm. The paper will be published after it is presented.

11/05/2026

𝐆𝐏𝐔 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐨𝐈𝐌𝐁𝐒 & 𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐀 𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐀 𝐁𝐎𝐘𝐂𝐎𝐓𝐓 ( #𝟐)

11 May, 2026

The Gambia Press Union (GPU) wishes to inform all media houses that the boycott on media coverage of events hosted by the 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 and the 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐔𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 in response to the proposed media regulations is hereby lifted.

The decision to pause the boycott for the duration of the Multistakeholder Dialogue on the Regulations convened by the Gambia Bar Association, 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐀’𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐝.

All media houses and journalists are therefore urged to resume coverage of events and media engagements hosted by the Ministry and PURA until further notice.

08/05/2026