By Gabriel Ameh
As part of its ongoing consultations with key stakeholders, the ECOWAS Needs Assessment Team on Wednesday paid courtesy visits to the Gambian Bar Association (GBA) and the Ministry of Justice in Banjul.
The team was warmly received at the GBA Secretariat by the General Secretary, Mr. Abdoulie Fatly, and the Immediate Past President of the Association, Mr. Salieu Taal. Discussions centered on strengthening democratic institutions, the rule of law, and promoting credible electoral processes in the region.
At the Ministry of Justice, the team was hosted by the Solicitor General and Legal Secretary, Mr. Hussein Thomas, alongside senior officials of the ministry. The visit provided an avenue to exchange views on legal frameworks governing elections and democratic governance in The Gambia.
Leading the delegation was the Chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu. Other key members included Mr. Konneh Mohammed, Chairman of Sierra Leone’s Electoral Commission and President of the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC), as well as Mr. Okechukwu Ndeche, Consultant with International IDEA, and Mr. Chinedu Chinedu, Senior Programmes Officer at ECONEC.
Also part of the delegation were Mrs. Helen Ajayi, Director of Planning and Monitoring at INEC, Mr. Nathaniel Gana, Principal Information Officer at INEC, and other electoral and legal professionals.
The visits are part of ECOWAS’s broader mission to assess electoral preparedness and deepen democratic engagement in member states ahead of upcoming elections.
