News:
January 30, 2020
Majority Leader of the Gambian National Assembly, Kebba K. Barrow has said the country is doing its best to empower women and champion their cause.
According to the Majority Leader, there are three elected females in the National Assembly out of the fifty-three membership of the House.
Out of the five representation to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament in Abuja Nigeria, Fatoumatta Njai is the only female among the delegation in the fourth legislature, whiles the delegation has only one female in the yet to be sworn in fifth legislature.
He noted in an interview that the case of Gambia is a special case in the West African sub-region considering that there are only three elected females in the National Assembly and two appointed by government.
“What we are trying to do in the next legislature is for the political parties to come out with a policy that would ensure that at least thirty percent of their contestants are females. With that they secure the country to increase the number of female Parliamentarians in the National Assembly”.
Mr. Barrow revealed that out of the two remaining elected female MPs, one is represented at the Pan-African Parliament, whiles the remaining one with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.
“We have given room to get more female Parliamentarians in our National Assembly, we are working on it, we would get there”, he said.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com/Banjul