Since January 2017, following the historic change of government in The Gambia via the ballot, a new democratic dispensation is in place. The “New Gambia” under the leadership of President Adama Barrow and the coalition-led government – with the assistance of a range of development partners, including the United Nations – and with the support of Civil Society and other actors, has made progress toward reforming Gambia’s institutions, with a view to restoring democratic governance and the respect for the rule of law.
Legislative action has advanced a series of national reforms, setting the stage for transitional efforts to pursue changes in the justice and security sectors, as well as toward new practices of governance, development, and economic revitalization, as envisioned within the National Development Plan (2018-2021)1. In the context of a new and democratic dispensation, the political and social processes that will re-define Gambian state-society relations, also raised significant challenges. As evidenced, new challenges are based on unique demands, placed on both public office holders, and on Gambians at large, putting the country’s diverse ethno-linguistic and inter-religious cohesion to the test, throughout all regions and communities, both rural and urban.
