By Fatou Sillah
The Minister of Information, Media, and Broadcasting Services, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, said the government will move forward with its proposed National Press Accreditation Policy despite concerns raised by the Gambia Press Union and other media advocates.
In an interview with West Coast Radio, Dr. Ceesay defended the policy, which would introduce a centralized accreditation system that would require journalists, freelancers, content creators, and social media users with significant public reach to obtain state authorization to access government events and perform key journalistic functions.
The proposal has prompted debate across The Gambia, with critics warning it could have implications for press freedom. The minister, however, said the government remains committed to implementing the policy, even as it considers revisions.
“Nothing can stop us from going through with this regulation; we will tweak it, we will amend it to make it better, and we are not saying it is perfect,” he said.
Dr. Ceesay emphasized that the policy would undergo further consultation, noting that stakeholder engagement is intended to refine its provisions while supporting democratic governance and modernizing the media landscape.
“We will consult; we will engage stakeholders to make it better, to promote our democracy, to modernize our media ecosystem, and to protect and support the public interest,” he said.
He added that the government does not intend to abandon the proposal and urged critics to participate in the dialogue. “We are not backing down on this. It is not possible, so I would advise them to come back to the drawing board. Let’s sit and discuss and find a solution to this,” he said.
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