By Olimatou Coker
The National Council for Civic Education with support from United Nations Development Program under its Women Leadership Project over the weekend concluded 6 days capacity building for aspiring female leaders/ candidates on grassroots mobilization and campaign strategies in three regions namely, URR, CRR and LRR.
The training seeks to empower aspiring female candidates by equipping them with the requisite skills and knowledge to increase their chances of success in elections.
Through targeted skill development, participants have acquired competence on how to craft effective campaign strategies. This is to foster a more inclusive political landscape by supporting a growing number of female candidates and helping them achieve electoral victory in future elections, especially the upcoming electoral cycle in 2026-2028.
Yusupha Bojang, the Chief Civic Education Officer at NCCE, thanked the UNDP for always supporting them, saying that the council can have the aim but if there is no fund to do it will be very difficult to do such an important engagement.
He added that they brought it to all these great women like Hon. Fatou Cham, the NAM for Sanementereng Constituency, Kaddy Camara, the Former MP of Foni Bondali together with elected councillors and lady councilors at the gathering served as an example for this upcoming aspiring women leaders today.
Thomas Kimaru, UNDP project manager, said UNDP has a strong mandate in promoting gender equality, especially when it comes to women’s political participation and leadership. “The Women’s Leadership Project (WLP) under which this training is being conducted, was developed and implemented to address the persistent gender imbalance in political leadership, with a clear rationale that women should have a seat at every decision-making table, from traditional leadership of Alkalou and Chiefs, Village Development Committees (VDCs), Ward Development Committees (WDCs), District Tribunals, local councils, national assembly, private sector, cabinet, presidency, and others”.
He said this strategy will establish quotas for women’s nominations and create more inclusive party selection committees to ensure that women are not only encouraged to run for office but are actively supported by their parties throughout the electoral processes
He said this strategy will provide a clear framework and practical guidelines to help female candidates identify and secure the necessary funding to mount effective and competitive campaigns. By addressing this financial gap, the strategy aims to eliminate one of the most significant obstacles to women’s political participation, enabling them to focus on their platforms, connect with voters, and gain the visibility they need to succeed.
“As we gather here today, let us remember that women’s participation in politics and leadership is not an option or a luxury—it is a constitutional right and a democratic necessity. I am confident that with continued efforts and partnerships, we will see a Gambia where women’s voices are fully represented and heard at every level of decision-making,” UNDP’s project manager said.
Hon. Fatou Cham, the National Assembly Member for Sanementereng Constituency, highlighted the importance of women leadership, especially within political structures, noting the urgent need to increase women representation at the National Assembly.
Landing Sanneh, the Chairman of Mansakonko Area Council, urged women to always support each other.
He also thanked NCCE and the UNDP for bringing them women that have already set the ground for women empowerment and women political leadership development. “So in the house, we already have those women that have been back in leadership. So we will take examples from those first, before we even step out and I believe that the participants will have very interactive sessions”.
Chairman Sanneh added that after all this series of meetings and training, it is now time for the women to go to the next level by practicing what they learned.
