{"id":83201,"date":"2025-08-01T17:50:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T17:50:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/sahel-governance-forum-calls-for-unity-and-inclusive-leadership"},"modified":"2025-08-01T18:23:46","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T18:23:46","slug":"sahel-governance-forum-calls-for-unity-and-inclusive-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/sahel-governance-forum-calls-for-unity-and-inclusive-leadership","title":{"rendered":"Sahel Governance Forum Calls for Unity and Inclusive Leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. <\/strong><\/span>The 2025 Sahel Governance Forum on Wednesday opened in Banjul, The Gambia with high-level calls for governments, civil society, and citizens across the region to jointly confront governance challenges and rebuild public trust.<\/b><\/p>\n

Held under the theme \u201cThe Future of Governance: (Re)building Social Cohesion and Public Trust,\u201d the two-day forum brings together political leaders, international experts, development partners, and civil society actors from across West Africa and the Sahel to chart a new path for democratic governance in a region plagued by insecurity and institutional decline.<\/p>\n

In her official opening statement, Fatou Kinneh, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad, welcomed delegates and reaffirmed The Gambia\u2019s commitment to democratic renewal.<\/p>\n

In his keynote address, President Adama Barrow of The Gambia called on Sahel governments to deepen citizen engagement, ensure justice, and invest in inclusive development. \u201cThe greatest threat to peace and stability is not just poverty or conflict it is the growing gap between the people and the institutions meant to serve them,\u201d President Barrow said. He urged leaders to prioritize dialogue, fairness, and trust-building as core governance values.<\/p>\n

UN Resident Coordinator in The Gambia, Mr. Karl Fre\u0301de\u0301rick Paul, described the forum as a timely and necessary intervention. \u201cThe Sahel is facing a governance crisis. Public trust has eroded, and institutions are under pressure. But governments alone cannot solve this. Rebuilding governance must be inclusive women, youth, faith leaders and communities all have a role to play,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, Mr. Leonardo Santos Sima\u0303o, warned that fragmented governance approaches have failed the region. \u201cWe must move away from siloed responses and adopt a shared regional vision of governance that promotes accountability, security, and justice,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Dr. Roba D. Sharamo, Director of UNDP\u2019s Regional Programme for Africa, emphasized that governance in the Sahel must be both people-centred and adaptive. \u201cCitizens no longer tolerate distant institutions. They demand results. The challenge before us is not just about designing policies, but about restoring confidence that democracy can deliver.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ahunna Eziakonwa, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Africa, underscored the need for bold reforms. \u201cThe reality is that mistrust is growing across our societies. Leaders must rise to this moment. It\u2019s time to rethink governance not as control, but as care for citizens, for institutions, and for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

The forum, hosted by the Government of The Gambia and convened by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International IDEA, and partners, seeks to produce a regional governance agenda that can tackle entrenched inequality, weak state institutions, and growing insecurity.<\/p>\n

Panel sessions throughout the event are examining topics such as democratic backsliding, the role of traditional and religious authorities, constitutional transitions, and how to rebuild civic trust after conflict and coups.<\/p>\n

Delegates include former heads of state, parliamentarians, regional organizations, academia, and grassroots advocates. Many speakers echoed a common refrain that governance reform must be driven from within the region and rooted in local contexts.<\/p>\n

As the forum continues into its second day, participants are expected to adopt key recommendations for a governance compact that places citizens at the centre of decision-making.<\/p>\n

Mr. Paul closed his welcome remarks with a hopeful message: \u201cIf we act together with honesty, humility, and a shared sense of duty we can build the Sahel\u2019s future on a foundation of trust.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Sahel Governance Forum will continue on Thursday, with discussions focused on transitional governance frameworks, regional coordination, and innovative models for public service delivery.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Gambia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. The 2025 Sahel Governance Forum on Wednesday opened in Banjul, The Gambia with high-level calls for governments, civil society, and citizens across the region to jointly confront governance challenges and rebuild public trust. Held under the theme \u201cThe Future of Governance: (Re)building Social Cohesion and Public Trust,\u201d the two-day forum brings together […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":83200,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,7,12],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-83201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-head-lines","category-policy","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"\nSahel Governance Forum Calls for Unity and Inclusive Leadership - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The 2025 Sahel Governance Forum on Wednesday opened in Banjul, The Gambia with high-level calls for governments, civi ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/sahel-governance-forum-calls-for-unity-and-inclusive-leadership\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sahel Governance Forum Calls for Unity and Inclusive Leadership\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The 2025 Sahel Governance Forum on Wednesday opened in Banjul, The Gambia with high-level calls for governments, civi ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/sahel-governance-forum-calls-for-unity-and-inclusive-leadership\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gambia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-01T17:50:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-01T18:23:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/08\/sm_1754059431.530146.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/sahel-governance-forum-calls-for-unity-and-inclusive-leadership#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/sahel-governance-forum-calls-for-unity-and-inclusive-leadership\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Sahel Governance Forum Calls for Unity and Inclusive Leadership\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-01T17:50:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-01T18:23:46+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/sahel-governance-forum-calls-for-unity-and-inclusive-leadership\"},\"wordCount\":614,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/sahel-governance-forum-calls-for-unity-and-inclusive-leadership#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/08\/sm_1754059431.530146.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Gambia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"head lines\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/sahel-governance-forum-calls-for-unity-and-inclusive-leadership#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/sahel-governance-forum-calls-for-unity-and-inclusive-leadership\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/sahel-governance-forum-calls-for-unity-and-inclusive-leadership\",\"name\":\"Sahel Governance Forum Calls for Unity and Inclusive Leadership - 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