By Yankuba Jallow
At the “Mansa Kunda” conference on Friday, Information Minister Dr. Ismaila Ceesay detailed the mandate of his ministry, outlined reforms in public communication, and warned of the risks posed by unregulated digital platforms and misinformation.
“It is both a privilege and an honor to address the nation in this very important ministerial town hall, an initiative that embodies commitment to transparency, dialogue, and inclusive governance,” Dr. Ceesay told the audience of cabinet ministers, diplomats, students, and journalists.
“Following an executive proclamation on 4th May 2022, the Ministry of Information and Communication Infrastructure was decoupled to create two new ministries,” he recalled. “One was the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy, and the other one is the Ministry for Information.”
“When I resumed office last year, I changed the name from the Ministry of Information to the Ministry of Information Media and Broadcasting Services to emphasize and accentuate the new mandate of the ministry,” he said. “Now, this ministry is the official public relations outfit of the government. It is the organ responsible for the dissemination of public policies and social interventions by the government of the Republic of The Gambia.”
“Our goal as a ministry is to promote proactive disclosure of public information, empower the citizens of The Gambia through information dissemination to ensure transparency and accountability in public policy circles,” he declared. “Therefore, the mandate of the Ministry of Information Media and Broadcasting Services is as follows. One, to inform and educate the public on government policies and programs. Two, to ensure transparent and timely communication between government and citizens. Three, to promote national unity through responsible media engagement. Four, to regulate and modernize the broadcasting sector. Five, to uphold the values of truth, accountability, and professionalism in public communication. Six, to foster a media environment that is free, responsible, and inclusive. Seven, to promote national unity through strategic public engagement and civic education. Eight, to assist ministries, departments, and agencies in developing and executing communication strategies for the policies and programs of their organizations. Nine, to facilitate the gathering of feedback for the executive branch of government. Ten, to facilitate the operation of the ATI Act, which is the Access to Information Act. And finally, to lead in the development of policies and programs for the advancement of public communications sector.”
He described how communication officers have been deployed across government ministries. “The department has successfully established dedicated communication officers, positions, and posted communication officers across all government ministries,” he said. “Their functions include ensuring that the public receives accurate and timely information, and managing the content on official websites and social media channels of MDAs.”
“This function is vital for maintaining transparency and keeping the public informed about government policies, initiatives, and services,” he continued. “The communication officers were also trained on social media management, and the result is a fundamental change that ensures that all government ministries, websites, and social media handles are frequently updated.”
He also pointed to progress in state-owned media. “The publication frequency of the Gambia Daily used to be only once a week. We have now increased it to twice a week, and the aim is, and we are working very hard to achieve this, to make it a daily newspaper,” he said.
Turning to broadcasting, Dr. Ceesay said: “It has achieved national reach. What that means is that throughout the whole country, wherever you are, you can watch JRTS TV and listen to JRTS. Both are on satellite. That is, both radio and TV are on satellite.”
He warned of gaps in media law. “Holding platforms accountable for user-generated content, data privacy, and monetization of platform accountability. This is crucial as technology has outpaced regulation and most media laws were written before the advent of social media, or before the advent of streaming, or in fact, before the advent of artificial intelligence,” he said. “Therefore, digital harms are rising. Issues like fake news, deepfakes, cyberbullying, online radicalization, and data breaches need modern legal frameworks.”
“Traditional media struggles to compete with big tech. Reforms are aimed to level the playing field,” he continued. “New media are not licensed, but they do the same job. We need to find regulations to make sure that the playing field is level for both to operate.”
He insisted that media survival was essential to democracy. “Without viable media, democracy suffers,” he said. “People don’t get reliable news. Media viability supports freedom of expression, public debate, and accountability. It ensures local journalism survives, especially in undeserved communities.”
Dr. Ceesay also called for new rules on accreditation. “Everybody wakes up and calls him or herself a journalist,” he said. “We need to accredit them. You need to be accredited to be a journalist. We are working on those frameworks as well.”
The minister described the “Mansa Kunda” series as a central government outreach tool. “This activity is held bi-weekly and it seeks to enhance public knowledge and understanding of government policies, programs, and projects through proactive disclosure, interactive media, and public consultations and popularization of government agenda,” he said.
He noted that children, too, had been brought into these dialogues. “We also did what we call the Children’s Mansukunda, which is an intergenerational dialogue between children and adults, where we brought about eight to ten ministers to interface with young children, with support from UNICEF,” he said.
The greatest challenge, he argued, was disinformation in the digital age. “The rise of artificial intelligence has enabled the rapid spread of misinformation and disinformation, including deep fakes, manipulated images, and misleading news articles,” he said. “This poses a serious threat to public trust, national security, and democratic integrity, especially in the Gambia, but also other fragile democracies.”
“To counter this, the ministry has launched initiatives such as the Outreach Mission, in partnership with and support from Wave Gambia, and the establishment of a National Misinformation and Disinformation Response Center,” he explained. “This is an AI-driven initiative designed to verify news, debunk falsehood, and prove journalists and citizens with real-time fact-checking tools.”
“By leveraging AI, this system will not only detect misinformation but also continuously adapt to new threats, ensuring a resilient and future-proof solution,” he concluded. “The National Misinformation and Disinformation Response Center will be funded by ECOWAS and will serve as a pilot project within the framework of the regional network to combat misinformation that ECOWAS plans to set up.”
