Advancing gender equality in The Gambia’s Parliament
Stakeholders take part in the opening ceremony of the first-ever National Conference on Women’s Political Participation and Representation in The Gambia, held in Banjul on 15–16 December 2025. Credit: International IDEA
International IDEA’s Consolidation of Democratic Dispensation in The Gambia project is driving a major step forward for women’s political participation in The Gambia, where women currently hold only 8.6 per cent of seats in the National Assembly, the country’s parliament.
To help increase women’s parliamentary representation, International IDEA supported the National Assembly’s Gender Select Committee on a study trip to Kenya, where members learned from successful gender‑quota reforms. Inspired by this experience, the Committee drafted The Gambia’s first Gender Committee Women Bill, proposing a constitutional quota to guarantee women’s representation. Submitted in October 2025 and expected to be added to the parliamentary agenda in March 2026, the Bill is now the focus of outreach to legislators to build understanding and support. If passed, it would mark a transformative step towards a more inclusive and representative democracy.
Parliament is the people’s House, and the people include the women of The Gambia. The barriers of gatekeeping within political parties must be dismantled. Political parties must move beyond using women as mobilizers and start investing in them as candidates.
| Funding | European Union |
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