By Seedy Jobe
The National Women Mobilizer of the Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC), Remeh Jagne, has called for greater inclusion and equal opportunities for women, highlighting the persistent challenges faced by Gambian women.
In a statement marking International Women’s Day on Sunday, March 8, 2026, Jagne said many women in The Gambia continue to struggle daily and have little to celebrate in terms of progress.
“As women, we have little to take pride in with the daily struggles we continue to endure in this country.”
Jagne criticized what she described as a politically driven approach to women’s empowerment, arguing that the current system fails to promote inclusive development for women.
“Women’s empowerment is politically rewarded, which is a system that fails to support women’s development inclusively,” she stated.
She also expressed concern over the declining representation of women in the National Assembly of The Gambia, noting that female representation has fallen to below 15 percent. According to her, the situation was worsened when the president did not nominate any women among the five available nominated seats.
“Today, women’s voices continue to go down in the political landscape, most especially in political office. At the National Assembly, the percentage of women has seriously gone down, with less than 15% of representatives when the president failed to nominate women out of his 5 nominations, with few constituencies that were won by women at Parliament,” Jagne said.
Jagne further pointed to gender imbalance at the cabinet level, noting that the number of women serving as ministers remains far below 25 percent.
“At the cabinet, the gender disparity is getting wider as women appointed by the President as ministers are far away from meeting even 25%,” she added.
She emphasized that women should not be treated as political substitutes but as key actors capable of driving national development.
“We need a serious discussion on women’s development because we are no longer backbenchers or substitutes, but we are game starters, and this must be matched by actions and not words anymore,” she said.
Jagne stressed that empowering women is essential to national progress.
“When we empower women, we empower the country. However, with the continuation of the current leadership approach, there will be no meaningful improvement in the plight of women,” she stated. “Across the world, women are leading, rebuilding communities, and driving innovation, but sadly in The Gambia, we are not given equal opportunities to realize our full potential.”
The GDC official also highlighted economic challenges faced by many women, particularly in accessing affordable credit. She noted that many women are forced to rely on high-interest loans, which place them in difficult financial situations.
In addition, she raised concerns over increasing cases of violence against women, including fatal incidents linked to robberies.
“Results indicate that the killing of women during robberies is an ongoing issue, with numerous recent incidents reported across various locations in The Gambia. These incidents often involve fatal deaths, but also other forms of violence,” she said.
Jagne concluded by calling for a stronger commitment to protecting and empowering women. “Let us protect, empower, and be more inclusive for the development of The Gambia and the world,” she said.
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