Banjul, 28 July 2025 — A high-level delegation from the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS), comprising members of our newly inaugurated Governing Council and Advisory Committee, paid a courtesy call on the Honourable Minister of Justice, Hon. Dawda A. Jallow, as part of their ongoing engagements with key partners in The Gambia.
The meeting was opened by Hon. Justice Solomy Bossa, Chairperson of the Governing Council, who acknowledged the Centre’s long-standing relationship with the Government of The Gambia and emphasized the importance of continued collaboration in advancing human rights across the continent.
Executive Director, Mrs. Hannah Forster, expressed gratitude to the Minister for his support of the Centre. She recalled their past engagements in Switzerland and welcomed the opportunity to formally introduce the delegation. Mrs. Forster highlighted the Centre’s key activities, including capacity-building trainings and the hosting of the NGOs Forum, a major platform for civil society engagement at the African level.
Vice Chairperson of the Governing Council, Professor Mabassa Fall, thanked the Government of The Gambia for creating an enabling environment for human rights work. He noted the Centre’s extensive regional reach across linguistic and geographical boundaries and stressed the sensitive nature of human rights advocacy. He also commended the country for consistently hosting the NGOs Forum peacefully, despite its sometimes delicate subject matter.
Mr. Femi Falana also applauded The Gambia’s leadership, particularly in signing and ratifying key ECOWAS protocols, and expressed support for the country’s continued hosting of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR).
Mr. Abdelbagi Jibril commended The Gambia’s hospitality, especially in its treatment of Sudanese nationals during travels in The Gambia. He praised The Gambia’s growing human rights credentials on the continent.
Mrs.Teneng Mba Jaiteh reflected on her engagement with ACDHRS and expressed pride in The Gambia’s foundational role in the Centre. She acknowledged existing challenges but reaffirmed the delegation’s commitment to working closely with the Ministry for guidance and support.
Mr. Sadikh Niass thanked the Minister for his openness and emphasized the vibrancy of civil society on the continent. He praised the government for enabling NGOs to gather freely without interference, a positive reflection of the country’s human rights environment. He also commended The Gambia for its compliance with African human rights instruments, including cooperation with the African Court.
In response, Hon. Minister Jallow expressed appreciation for the visit and reiterated the government’s commitment to full compliance with African human rights mechanisms. “The idea behind institutions like ACDHRS is to develop African solutions to African challenges. We are proud to host the African Commission and are committed to ensuring it remains here,” he said.
The meeting ended with a shared commitment to strengthen partnerships and uphold Africa’s human rights values.
The delegation includes:
1. 𝐻𝑜𝑛 𝐽𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑆𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑚𝑦 𝐵𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑎, 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑖𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐺𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝘰𝑟 𝐸𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛 𝐴𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎
2. 𝑀𝑟. 𝑀𝑜ℎ𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑀𝑎𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑎 𝐹𝑎𝑙𝑙, 𝑉𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑖𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐺𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝘰𝑟 𝑊𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝐴𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎, 𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑒
3. 𝑀𝑟. 𝐹𝑒𝑚𝑖 𝐹𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑎, 𝐺𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑙 𝑀𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑊𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝐴𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎, 𝐴𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑒
4. 𝑀𝑟𝑠 𝑇𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑛𝑔 𝐽𝑎𝑖𝑡𝑒ℎ, 𝐺𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑙 𝑀𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐻𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑦, 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐺𝑎𝑚𝑏𝑖𝑎
5. 𝑀𝑟. 𝑆𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑘ℎ 𝑁𝑖𝑎𝑠𝑠, 𝐴𝑑𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑒 𝑀𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑊𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝐴𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎 𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑒
6. 𝑀𝑟. 𝐴𝑏𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑏𝑎𝑔𝑖 𝐽𝑖𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑙, 𝐴𝑑𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑒 𝑀𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑙
7. 𝘔𝑟𝘴 𝘏𝑎𝘯𝑛𝘢ℎ 𝐹𝘰𝑟𝘴𝑡𝘦𝑟, 𝘌𝑥𝘦𝑐𝘶𝑡𝘪𝑣𝘦 𝘋𝑖𝘳𝑒𝘤𝑡𝘰𝑟 𝑜𝘧 𝘈𝐶𝘋𝐻𝘙𝑆
8. 𝑀𝑠 𝐸𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛 𝐴𝑛𝑛, 𝐴𝐶𝐷𝐻𝑅𝑆 𝐴𝑑𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑂𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑟
9. 𝑀𝑟𝑠. 𝑆𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑛 𝐺𝑖𝑏𝑏𝑠, 𝐴𝐶𝐷𝐻𝑅𝑆 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑠 𝑀𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑟
10. 𝑀𝑟. 𝑃𝑎 𝑀𝑜𝑑𝑜𝑢 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑚, 𝐴𝐶𝐷𝐻𝑅𝑆 𝐼𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑂𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑟
