By Madi S. Njie
Four years after the passage of The Gambia’s landmark Persons With Disabilities Act in 2021, serious barriers remain for persons with disabilities (PWDs) seeking equal access to healthcare, mental health services, and social participation.
The Act, celebrated for guaranteeing rights to education, healthcare, employment, and the official recognition of sign language, was hailed as a turning point for disability rights in the country. Yet, disability advocates say that many of its key provisions remain “largely on paper.”
“A major barrier is the lack of recognition and support for sign language interpreters,” said Mr. Dodou Loum, Executive Director of the Gambia Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (GADHOH). “Currently, fewer than 10 trained interpreters exist nationwide, none formally employed in hospitals, schools, or courts.”
During a recent retreat in Pakalinding, Lower River Region, Principal Magistrate Muhammed Krubally—Chairperson of the Gambia Federation of the Disabled—called for the full implementation of the Disability Act, which he said directly addresses these and other ongoing challenges.
At a recent Multi-Stakeholder Forum held in Farafenni, North Bank Region, Mr. Lamin Fatajo, retired Regional Director at the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) and a resource person at the event, highlighted that mental health services in The Gambia are critically under-resourced. The country’s only psychiatric hospital serves a population of two million, with most specialized services and assistive devices concentrated in urban centers, such as Banjul. For rural PWDs, this means high travel costs, limited care continuity, and persistent exclusion.
Forum participants recommended decentralizing healthcare facilities and establishing rehabilitation centers in all regions to improve access for those living in provincial areas.
Cultural stigma and beliefs in supernatural causes of disability and mental illness also delay access to medical treatment, as families often consult traditional healers before seeking biomedical care. Mr. Fatajo emphasized the urgency of community education in combating stereotypes and called for improved coordination between traditional and formal health systems.
The Farafenni forum brought together disability rights advocacy groups affiliated with the Gambia Federation of the Disabled (GFD) and partners from across the country. Their recommendations included expanding healthcare worker training in disability rights, improving disability-disaggregated data collection, increasing funding for nationwide assistive device programs, and broadening public awareness campaigns.
Hon. Fatou Kinteh, Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Welfare, acknowledged that while progress has been made, funding and resources remain inadequate. “We are appealing to the National Assembly to increase funding to meet the growing needs of persons with disabilities,” she said.
Despite The Gambia’s legislative advances and its ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), experts agree that true inclusion will require urgent, coordinated action to address persistent social, financial, and systemic barriers.
“We must turn the promises of the Act into tangible progress on the ground,” said Muhammed Krubally, Chairperson of the Gambia Federation of the Disabled. “Nothing about us without us.”
