At an emergency meeting held at the GPU on 8thApril, 2026, stakeholders resolve that the State-controlled registration and accreditation regime gives unlawful and arbitrary powers to the government to decide who practices journalism or not.
โThe regulations give PURA the powers to register, suspend registration or revoke registration of journalists and influential social media users,โ GPU Secretary General, Modou S. Joof, said. โThe proposed regulations on journalist and social media usersโ registration and online media licensing fall outside PURAโs statutory powers and therefore constitute an unlawful exercise of administrative authority.โ
According to the resolution signed and endorsed by 16 professional media associations, regulatory and professional associations, academic, and civil society groups, the proposed regulations do not only restrict freedom of expression online, but also promotes state censorship, news and online content moderation, and interference editorial independence.
The GPU, Media and CSO stakeholders have also resolved to not give any credence to PURAโs proposal by not partaking in activities that seeks to enforce them.
โWe hereby totally reject the proposal,โ GPU President, Isatou Keita, said. โWe cannot participate in the proposed consultations on the Broadcasting and Online Content Regulations, 2026; Broadcasting and Online Content Licensing, Registration and Authorisation Guidelines, 2026; and Journalists Registration Guidelines, 2026,since our participation would be seen to legitimise the proposed state-controlled system of accreditation and registration of journalists, online media, and social media users.โ
The stakeholders also agreed that no journalist, journalistsโ association, media houses or social media users should register with PURA, only to have their constitutional right to practice journalism, to seek employment in The Gambia or to seek, receive and impart information, or to freely express themselves online, arbitrarily taken away from them.
The parties to the resolution also agreed that the proposed regulations will be challenged in domestic and regional courts at the appropriate time if they come into effect and are enforced.
They recommended that the government immediately abandoned its plan to impose a general State system of registration and licensing of journalists, online media, and social media users.
They also proposed for the Gambia government to strengthen the Media Council of The Gambia (MCG), which was setup by the GPU in line with the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression and access to Information in Africa, which states that โStates shall encourage media self-regulation which shall be impartial, expeditious, cost-effective, and promote high standards in the media.
Conferring absolute authority on a state-controlled institution like PURA, which is prone to political and executive influence, is inconsistent with Principle 17 of the Declaration which states that โa public regulatory authority that exercises powers in the areas of broadcast, telecommunications or internet infrastructure shall be independent and adequately protected against interference of a political, commercial or other nature.โ
