By Makutu Manneh
The Alternative Dispute Resolution Secretariat (ADRS), a specialized agency under the Ministry of Justice, on Monday, September 29, 2025, launched a capacity-building program to strengthen staff skills in mediation, conciliation, negotiation, and arbitration.
The training aims to equip ADRS personnel with the tools to promote peaceful settlement of disputes—ranging from family matters to business conflicts and wider civil issues—while advancing the Secretariat’s mission of fostering dialogue over litigation.
Speaking at the opening, Registrar General Abdoulie Colley underscored ADRS’s growing role in The Gambia’s justice system. He noted that under the newly enacted High Court Rules of 2025, parties are now required to pursue ADRS mechanisms before filing civil actions in court. Colley described this reform as a landmark in promoting efficiency, accessibility, and fairness in justice delivery, marking a shift from adversarial litigation to collaborative and restorative approaches.
He reminded staff that their role extends beyond facilitating processes, calling them “architects of trust, mediators of peace, and champions of access to justice.” Colley urged participants to engage fully in the training, critically assess the mechanisms introduced, and adapt them to The Gambia’s cultural and social context.“I urge you to engage deeply with the mechanisms presented today, to ask critical questions, and to envision how these tools can be adopted in our Gambian context,” Colley said.
ADRS Executive Secretary, Kumba Jow, described the training as a strategic investment in human capital. She said it would equip staff with the necessary tools and knowledge to excel in their roles as mediators, negotiators, and arbitrators. Jow encouraged participants to embrace the opportunity with commitment and enthusiasm.
She encouraged participants to consider the broader implications of their work as mediators, negotiators, and arbitrators, as they have the power to make a difference in the lives of individuals, families, and communities, especially the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized in society.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) representative, Sainey Ceesay, hailed the engagement as a significant milestone in the shared pursuit of strengthening institutional capacity, expanding access to justice, and fostering a society where every voice is respected and every dispute is resolved fairly and transparently.
He noted that the Alternative Dispute Resolution Secretariat (ADRS) provides citizens with a justice pathway that is accessible, affordable, and less adversarial. Ceesay further emphasized that the training equips ADRS staff to effectively discharge their statutory mandate—promoting dialogue, preventing conflict escalation, and easing the burden on the courts—towards the common objective of ensuring justice for all.
“Our collective efforts here today contribute to a more peaceful, just, and resilient society for all Gambians. UNDP’s newly approved global strategic plan 2026-2029 sets an ambitious vision for the future,” he said.
The ADRS, through its decentralized centers nationwide, provides mediation, conciliation, and arbitration services as alternatives to litigation. Its work is designed to deliver faster, cheaper, and more accessible dispute resolution for all citizens.