Africa-Press – Gambia. The National Assembly on Monday held an intense debate after Hon. Alhagie Babou Ceesay, Member for Sabach Sanjal, raised a Matter of the Day drawing attention to the decades-long statelessness affecting residents of Ghana Town in Brufut.
Ceesay told lawmakers that although most residents were born and raised in The Gambia, they remain undocumented and lack formal recognition as citizens. He referred to a recent assessment by the Gambia Commission for Refugees (GCR), GAFNA, and the UNHCR Senegal Multi-Country Office, which found that 87 per cent of residents hold no foreign documentation and 98.9 per cent consider The Gambia their home.
He urged the government to regularise their status, noting that their lack of national documents denies them healthcare, education, and formal employment. “These individuals have contributed to our society. They deserve recognition as citizens,” he said.
Ceesay added that although Ghana Town—established in the 1950s by Ghanaian fishermen—has become a fully integrated community, its residents and their children continue to inherit statelessness under existing laws. He called for urgent reforms to align The Gambia’s citizenship legislation with international conventions the country has ratified.
Supporting the motion, Hon. Alagie Mbowe of Upper Saloum said statelessness is a global challenge rooted in colonial legacies and restrictive laws. He cited international and continental commitments, including the African Union’s 2024 Protocol on the Right to Nationality and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which compel states to prevent statelessness. “We are yet to have definitive solutions because our constitution and laws are not friendly to people born to non-citizens,” he said.
Hon. Musa Badjie of Talinding Kunjang, a member of the Refugee Committee, said the situation calls for “affirmative action” to correct years of marginalisation. He argued that the residents are already stateless and proposed mass naturalisation as the most practical option.
Hon. Amie Colley of Foni Brefet said her visits to refugee settlements show that lack of documentation limits access to land, healthcare, and employment. “Some of them are teachers and nurses, yet still without documents,” she said.
Lower Fuladu West Member Ousman Touray described citizenship as a right and warned against politicising the issue. “Ghana Town people are the fabric of our society,” he said, urging the Assembly to demand swift government action.
LatriKunda Sabiji Member Yahya Sanyang accused successive governments of using the community for political gain, alleging that while residents are denied ID cards, politicians register them as voters during election periods. He also claimed that documentation issued under former President Yahya Jammeh was later revoked under the current administration.
Hon. Lamin Ceesay of Kiang West welcomed the debate but warned that citizenship laws must be respected. He questioned whether residents had applied for naturalisation under Section 12 of the Constitution. “I have not seen any evidence of applications that were denied,” he said, urging adherence to legal procedures.
Foni Kansala, Member Almameh Gibba, described the situation as “a failure of leadership,” commending Hon. Ceesay’s initiative. He warned that residents risk losing their jobs under current directives requiring ID cards and called for an investigation into whether they voted in past elections.
Several members, including Hon. Muhammed Kanteh of Busumbala, cited international instruments such as the 1954 Convention on Statelessness and stressed the need for The Gambia to domesticate these agreements.
The debate showed broad cross-party support for addressing the plight of Ghana Town residents, though members differed on remedies ranging from immediate naturalisation to constitutional reform. The National Assembly is expected to consider a formal resolution as calls mount for urgent government action.
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