By: Alieu Ceesay
ActionAid International The Gambia (AAITG) celebrated notable progress in human rights advocacy, climate resilience, and community empowerment during its 2025 Annual General Meeting (AGM), even as it grappled with mounting challenges in securing sustainable funding.
The high-level gathering brought together members of the General Assembly, Board of Directors, management, auditors, and key stakeholders to assess the organization’s performance over the past year and set strategic directions for the future.
Executive Director Ndella Colley-Faye described the AGM as a cornerstone of the organization’s commitment to transparency and accountability.
“Today is a day where the board is accounting to the General Assembly, and for us, actually, it is very important because we preach accountability and transparency,” Colley said. “It is an opportunity to tell them what we’ve been doing, what the achievements were and what the challenges were, and we look forward to the future.”
AAITG is currently in the second year of implementing its Country Strategy Paper VI (CSP VI), which prioritizes the rights of people living in poverty and exclusion, bolstering climate resilience, and promoting good governance. The organization has focused on empowering women, children, persons with disabilities, and young people, enhancing their participation in decision-making and improving access to education and economic opportunities.
“We support young people to be included in decision-making processes because Gambia can only be driven forward when the young people are better prepared,” Colley emphasized. She also highlighted climate change as a critical issue for The Gambia, one of the world’s most vulnerable nations despite its minimal contribution to global emissions.
Outgoing Board Chair Ousman Badjie reported that ActionAid’s programs directly reached more than 60,000 people in 2025, with indirect benefits extending to over 700,000 across the country.
Despite these gains, Badjie acknowledged persistent obstacles, including shrinking civic space, cultural resistance to change, and severe funding constraints. “We are dealing with challenging systems and cultures. Cultures take a while before they change, so there are things you do, but you don’t see the real benefit immediately,” he noted.
Badjie, who served nearly eight years on the board, praised the organization’s ability to maintain strong governance and secure funding amid global turbulence. However, he identified resource mobilization as the most pressing challenge, citing the impacts of conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan, as well as the lingering effects of COVID-19.
“The resource mobilization space continues to shrink due to factors at the global level, regional, but also national,” Badjie said. “It has become very difficult to attract funding from new sources, and we continue to rely largely on our traditional donor funding sources.”
The AGM reviewed the Board Chair’s Annual Report, which detailed successful CSP VI implementation, strengthened partnerships with entities such as the Global Fund, the European Union, the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, and the FAO, and a notable visit by ActionAid International Secretary General Arthur Larok.
As he handed over leadership, Badjie expressed confidence in the organization’s trajectory. “As I hand over the baton to the next Board leadership, I do so with full confidence that ActionAid International The Gambia is well positioned to continue advancing social justice, gender equality, climate resilience and good governance.”
The meeting concluded with the election of a new board tasked with diversifying funding streams, deepening community engagement, and sustaining momentum amid a difficult financial landscape.
