By Ndey Sowe
For the second time in its history, the Gambia Press Union (GPU) has elected a female president to head the organisation in the person of Isatou Keita.
The election of the new GPU president was held during its congress last Saturday. Keita, who previously served as GPU Vice President, becomes the second woman to lead the union.
The congress also ushered in a new executive team to steer the GPU for the next three years. Sheriff Saidykhan of ‘The Outpost’ was elected Vice President, while Meita Touray, a journalism trainer, takes on the role of Treasurer. Other board members include Paul Steven Prerra of ‘Star TV’, Alieu Ceesay of ‘QTV’, Mariama Bojang of GFF Communications, Adama Makasuba of ‘GTTV’ and Nelson Manneh of ‘Foroyaa’ Newspaper.
Ms. Keita, a seasoned journalist with over a decade of experience at the national broadcaster, GRTS, steps into her new role with a bold vision centered on five key priorities: defending media freedom, ensuring journalist safety, advancing media sustainability, promoting professionalism, and improving journalists’ welfare.
Outlining her agenda, Keita emphasized the importance of legal reforms including a revision of the defamation and licensing laws, to create a freer and more democratic media environment.
“We must align our media laws with international standards to ensure a thriving press,” she stated and pledged to make capacity building a cornerstone of her leadership.
She promised regular training programs for journalists in investigative journalism, data journalism, and niche reporting areas like health, climate change, and governance.
Ms. Keita’s election is not just a landmark for gender representation but it is a signal of the GPU’s renewed commitment to foster a resilient and independent press. With her leadership, Gambian journalists can look forward to a more robust and supportive environment to carry out their vital work.
“Discussions were also made on the repealing of the existing media laws which still hamper press freedom such as the false publication law. We will see how best to engage the authorities on this issue and advance efforts. We will ensure that we do a capacity assessment of the GPU secretariat to understand the capacity needs and gaps and provide the necessary professional development to ensure that we have a secretariat that is up to the task to perform duties,” she assured. She went on: “We will try to see how best to set up a fundraising commitment to support the GPU secretariat in mobilizing the necessary funds to implement the commitments highlighted above. We will assess the current GPU STRATEGIC PLAN to facilitate its alignment with the current realities that are specific enough to measure where we are, and where we want to be. We will ensure proper facilitation of payment of membership dues by journalists to support the union in raising funds. We will work with employers to ensure employment benefits like the payment of membership dues for journalists are included in their contracts with journalists,” Ms Keita said.
She said the GPU had done a great initiative in establishing the Media Council of The Gambia, but said the MCG faces numerous challenges and the current Executive Secretary is appointed Commissioner at the ATI Commission.
“We will work with the board of the MCG, and appoint a replacement for the Executive Secretary, and we will facilitate collaboration between GPU and MCG to raise funds and sustain the council. We will as part of our process, try to engage the veteran journalists to be part of this effort to be able to work to meet the needs and aspirations of Journalists,” she stated.
Ms Isatou Keita took over from Muhammed S. Bah who is the outgoing President. He has served only one term as President.
For the information of the readership, Ms. Ndey Tapha Sosseh was the first female to be elected to this position during the reign of former president Yaya Jammeh. Barely one year after her appointment as GPU President, she left The Gambia for Mali to serve as deputy project coordinator for the West Africa Journalists Association ACBF project. She later became the aforesaid organizations project coordinator. Ndeys troubles with Gambian authorities began after the GPU under her leadership issued a statement condemning Ex-President Jammeh’s verbal attack on late GPU President Deyda Hydara. Ms Sosseh was in Mali, the home of her husband, after she left The Gambia, and spent some time as president of the GPU in exile during which period she was very active in Gambian affairs.
Some of her high profile and international experiences today served to reinforce her conviction to strive hard and diligently in making a place for herself in the top strata of society, growing in tandem with her flair for quality and excellence in her relentless desire to succeed in the corporate sphere.
