Africa-Press – Gambia. Human rights activist and Gambians Against Looted Assets (GALA) spokesperson, Omar Saibo Camara, has called on Gambians to consider electing a female president, arguing that the country’s male-led leadership since independence has failed to deliver meaningful progress.
Speaking in an interview, Camara said The Gambia’s post-independence history has been dominated by male presidents, yet the nation continues to face persistent social, economic, and governance challenges.
“I think Gambia needs to try a female president. We need to try that. Jawara was a male; we still have problems with the 30 years of his rule. Jammeh was a male; we still have 22 years of problems. Barrow is a male; we still have 8, 9 years of problems. They are not all good enough for the country,” he said.
Camara emphasized that leadership should be defined by empathy, consistency, and effective service delivery, qualities he believes are more commonly demonstrated by women.
“One of the biggest qualities of a leader is empathy, consistency, service delivery, and effectiveness of doing multiple things at the same time—all that women have,” he said.
He urged all political parties to unite behind a female candidate in the upcoming 2026 presidential election.
“Let us head to the 2026 elections collectively. Either you are NPP, or you are UDP, or you are PDOIS. Can we present a woman candidate?” he asked.
Camara noted that such a move would send a powerful message about women’s active participation in politics and challenge the systemic marginalization of women in national leadership.
He criticized the way women are often used as political tools rather than being empowered to lead.
“Male presidents will come and use them as a scapegoat, put them as vice president for a few terms, and then they will remove them. And these are the women who clap for us today. If you go to a political rally, you have more women than men,” he lamented.
Camara added that many male politicians fear strong female leaders because they are not easily manipulated or compromised. He cited the example of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, whom he praised for her strong and independent leadership.
“She is doing extremely well, and she doesn’t get controlled by a few cabals of people to dance to the tune of the rest,” he said.
Concluding, Camara reiterated that women are equally capable of leading and called for a change in mindset regarding leadership and gender.
“What a man can do, a woman can do 100 times. What we need to dismantle first is the unnecessary obsession of men in leadership,” he said.
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