Seedy Njie, deputy speaker of The Gambia National Assembly, has called for abolition of gender inequality in parliament

Njie made the statement at a summit for parliamentarians in Kigali, Rwanda.

According to the deputy speaker, there is “a glimmer of hope in the drive to promoting gender-sensitive parliaments as many parliamentary institutions around the world are moving away from their traditional male-dominated membership towards advocating for more gender equality.

“However, implementing that change would involve looking at the institution itself with a critical eye, acknowledging unseen barriers that deter the presence of women, limit their participation and or hinder progress towards gender equality, and then taking strong action to address them.”

He continued: “The key obstacles hindering gender equality are more of culture and religion. It is high time we break these barriers and elect women to leadership and decision-making positions.”

“Therefore, this august assembly is envisaged to provide an excellent opportunity for our community of National Parliaments to come together to strengthen parliamentary efforts to drive change and address global issues.”

Mr Njie added that President Adama Barrow is a staunch advocate and champion of gender equality and women empowerment. 

“The Gambia has ratified and domesticated most regional and international conventions relating to women,” he said.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba