The announcement was made by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad ahead of the election of members to the Committee, scheduled to take place during the 48th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union in February 2026 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Dr. Nabaneh is widely regarded as one of The Gambia’s leading authorities on human rights law, with particular expertise in child rights and child protection, gender equality, and African human rights systems. Her career reflects decades of engagement in rights-based education, policy reform, advocacy, and normative development at national, regional, and international levels.
She brings to the candidature an exceptional academic pedigree, holding a PhD in Law from the University of Washington in the United States, a Doctor of Laws (LLD), a Master of Laws in Human Rights and Democratization in Africa from the University of Pretoria in South Africa, and a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the University of The Gambia.
Professionally, Dr. Nabaneh has built a distinguished career that bridges academia, research, advocacy, policy development, and institutional leadership. Since August 2021, she has served as a Research Professor of Law at the University of Dayton Human Rights Center in the United States, where she is involved in teaching, research, and mentoring in human rights law. She is also an Extraordinary Lecturer at the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, following her tenure as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the institution between 2021 and 2023.
Her earlier roles include managing the Academic Program on Sexual and Reproductive Rights in Africa at the Centre for Human Rights from 2019 to 2021, and serving as Project Officer on Women’s Rights at the same Centre from 2016 to 2019, where she worked as Legal Adviser to the African Union Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa.
At the national level, Dr. Nabaneh has lectured at the Faculty of Law of the University of The Gambia and has played prominent leadership roles within civil society, including serving as Coordinator of the Female Lawyers Association of The Gambia and co-founding Think Young Women. She has also been a long-standing Technical Adviser to the Child Protection Alliance, a role she held for over a decade, underscoring her sustained commitment to advancing child welfare and protection.
She has been directly involved in advocacy efforts that contributed to landmark legal reforms in The Gambia, including the enactment of the Tourism Offences Act 2003, Children’s Act 2005, Trafficking in Persons Act 2007, Women’s Act 2010, Sexual Offences Act 2013, and the Domestic Violence Act 2013.
Dr. Nabaneh is the Founder and Editor of Law Hub Gambia, established in 2019 to promote legal awareness, research, and dialogue on law and governance, and currently serves as Deputy Secretary General of the African Network of Constitutional Lawyers.
Her scholarly contributions are extensive, with numerous books, book chapters, policy briefs, and peer-reviewed articles focusing on harmful practices, women’s and girls’ rights, sexual and reproductive health, disability rights, and constitutionalism in Africa. Her work has appeared in leading academic and policy platforms, including Palgrave Macmillan and Pretoria University Law Press, as well as global media outlets such as The New York Times, Reuters, and Time. In 2024, The Africa Report named her among 10 exceptionally talented African scholars to watch.
Beyond academia, Dr. Nabaneh has provided high-level consultancy and technical assistance to governments, United Nations agencies, African Union organs, and national institutions. Her contributions include supporting the development of The Gambia’s National FGM Policy and Plan of Action, advancing the implementation of the UN Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and contributing to the interpretation and application of the Maputo Protocol and the African Children’s Charter.
Through the nomination of Dr. Satang Nabaneh to the ACERWC, The Gambia has reaffirmed its commitment to the promotion and protection of children’s rights in Africa, presenting a candidate of outstanding merit, leadership, and expertise to serve at the continental level.
