By Tabora Bojang
The Gambia government has been advised that should it issue a licence to Starlink, the satellite internet company owned by Elon Musk, it should make sure that such a licence comes with protections in place to safeguard data sovereignty.
Dave Manneh, a Gambian think tank expert based in the United Kingdom made this warning in his reaction to possible Starlink operation in The Gambia.
Manneh, the founder and research lead of Securing Futures: Land Rights Action Collaborative (SFLRAC), a Gambian think tank focused on land governance and democratic reform, said although it is justified for citizens to pressure the government for actions in consideration of the high cost of data in the country, a signature of regulatory licence “without safeguards would trade unreliable connectivity for compromised sovereignty.”
He said Gambians must also ask whether ceding critical infrastructure to an entity whose owner [Elon Musk] makes unilateral geopolitical decisions serves “our national interest.”
Manneh added that such a question is necessary because the risk had been laid bare by Musk’s unilateral altering of Starlink’s services in countries like Ukraine based on his personal political judgments.
According to him, the Gambian minister of digital communications must note that Gambians deserve answers to questions about data, security and self-determination.
“First, who answers when Starlink’s owner changes course unilaterally? Elon Musk controls Starlink and has altered its service based on personal political judgments. For example, during Ukraine’s defence against invasion, he first refused, then restored Starlink coverage after public pressure, directly affecting battlefield communications,” Manneh asked.
He added that Musk also described South Africa’s land reform debate as “apartheid” without engaging its history of dispossession and endorsed Donald Trump, criticised him months later, then reversed his position again.
“The Gambia is a majority Black nation with a history of foreign exploitation. We must ask whether ceding critical infrastructure to an entity whose owner makes unilateral geopolitical decisions serves our national interest. The issue is not personal morality but accountability: who answers Gambian law when the owner shifts direction on a whim?” Manneh asked.
He further observed that it is also important for the government to understand how data would flow and who could access it since Starlink permits the use of customer data for artificial intelligence training, warning that any approval without data localisation could expose transactions by Gambians to foreign AI models whose outputs may later shape global narratives about Africa.
“The US law permits intelligence agencies to collect data on non US persons stored on American servers. If Washington retains legal pathways to access data generated by Gambians on US-based infrastructure, what technical or legal capacity does The Gambia possess to ensure our data remains under sovereign control?” Manneh asked.
He said a number of countries including India and Saudi Arabia that have given approval to Starlink have put in place conditions of licence including requirements for all Starlink users to register with the national regulator and as such Gambia should not accept a bare licence with no conditions.
“The minister should secure data localisation so that Gambian user data resides on servers within The Gambia. He should secure lawful interception access for security agencies acting under a judicial warrant. He should require mandatory user registration with Pura, and demand local infrastructure investment through earth station gateways within the national territory,” Manneh, a native of Brufut said.
He urged the minister to mandate joint ventures with Gambian telecommunications firms to ensure skills transfer and local ownership stakes.
‘The minister should require opt-in, not opt-out, consent for AI training uses of user data and secure advance notification before terminating the service as well as obtain explicit submission to Gambian jurisdiction for regulatory disputes,” Manneh said.
In July 2025, the minister of Digital Economy Lamin Jabbi told the National Assembly that both the US States Department and its embassy in Banjul have been persistent in urging Gambia to fast track licence approval for Starlink.
Jabbi explained that Starlink had submitted an application for a licence and following a review, regulatory authority Pura confirmed that the company had met the licencing requirements and forwarded their recommendation to his Ministry for approval but he said upon review, he identified several critical issues surrounding the licence that required further analysis and consultations.
However of late, there are speculations that there is a possibility for the licence to be issued.
