The Gambia Moves Closer to Stronger Data Governance by validating its National Data Policy Validated
Banjul – July 8, 2025. The Gambia validates a National Data Policy that unlocks the transformative potential of data for national progress and regional integration. The Gambia is at the forefront of this policy progress, being the first (amongst the first?) to adopt such a policy framework. Aligned with the African Union Data Policy Framework (DPF), the latter plays a vital role in driving innovation, informed policymaking, and sustainable development in the rapidly evolving digital era.
On July 2 and 3, stakeholders from the government, private sector, civil society and academia endorsed the draft National Data Policy, paving the way for its formal approval and implementation. The stakeholders provided inputs to strengthen the policy’s focus on data protection, cross-border data flows, and institutional coordination at a National Validation Workshop, highlighting the importance of an inclusive and participatory process.
During the occasion, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, emphasised the importance of data and advocated for strong governance to build public trust: “As we all know, data is one of the most valuable assets of our time. It has the power to shape how we govern, how we grow our economy, and how we engage our citizens. Yet without proper governance, data can also become a source of inequality, misinformation, and mistrust. That is why this policy is so important. It provides a framework to manage data responsibly, inclusively, and securely, while unlocking its full value for national development”.
On his part, Hon. Lamin Jabbi, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, stressed the vision of The Gambia for the National Data Policy: “Our vision for this policy is clear: to establish The Gambia as a digitally inclusive, innovative, and data-driven economy where data is utilised securely, ethically, and equitably to drive socio-economic development, enhance governance, and empower all our citizens.”
Souhila Amazouz, Senior Policy Officer from the African Union Commission, commended The Gambia’s commitment to aligning its National Data Policy with the AU Data Policy Framework, underscoring the importance of harmonised, people-centred data governance to accelerate the continent’s digital and socio-economic transformation.
Raphaël Brigandi, Deputy Head of Mission at the European Union Delegation to The Gambia, highlighted the importance of rights-based data governance and reaffirmed the EU’s commitment through the Team Europe Initiative Data Governance in Africa Initiative:“By creating a national data policy that balances innovation with rights and sovereignty with collaboration, you are building a strong foundation for the digital economy. We are pleased to have actively accompanied the designing and adopting of the new policy as part of our EU Global Gateway Initiative which supports investments in quality infrastructure, respecting the highest social and environmental standards, in line with the EU's values and international norms and standards. The Data Governance in Africa Initiative also translates the EU commitments made at AU-EU summit in 2022. In The Gambia, our support has helped facilitate technical assistance, stakeholder consultations, and the drafting process whose fruits we are now collectively reaping.”
The validation workshop resulted in strong stakeholder consensus on the draft National Data Policy, reflecting national priorities and alignment with the African Union Data Policy Framework. The consensus plays a vital role in shaping an inclusive, effective, and sustainable data governance. These efforts reinforce the country’s commitment to regional and continental goals for a harmonised and inclusive digital future. The finalised policy will be submitted for official approval by the Government of The Gambia.
The Data Governance in Africa Initiative, funded by the European Union and Germany, together with the African Union, supported the development of The Gambia’s National Data Policy.
Background
Under the Data Governance in Africa Initiative and as part of the development of the National Data Policy, a Capacity Building Workshop was held on December 2-3, 2024. This provided training for government officials on key aspects of data governance, including data protection principles, foundational infrastructure, and strategies for building trustworthy data systems. This training equipped participants with the technical knowledge and skills required to engage meaningfully in the development of a robust and inclusive data policy. This was followed by a National Data Policy Stakeholder Engagement Workshop, held on December 4-5, 2024, which convened a diverse array of stakeholders to collaboratively shape The Gambia’s approach to data governance.
About Data Governance in Africa Initiative
The Data Governance in Africa Initiative supports the African Union (AU) and its member states in formulating development-oriented and human-centric data regulation, data use and data infrastructure at continental, regional and member-state levels. The Initiative provides concrete support for a single digital market in Africa by harmonising regulations on data, creating cross-border data flow and promoting investments in secure and sustainable data infrastructure facilities. The Initiative is funded by €60 million from the European Union and its five member states (Belgium, Estonia, Finland, France and Germany) under the Global Gateway strategy. The project is implemented from 1st January 2023 to 31st July 2026 by GIZ, Enabel, Expertise France, ESTDEV, HAUS and Digital Africa.
Contact: For more information, reach out to datagovafrica@giz.de