By: Momodou Gagigo
In an emotional and action-packed National Adolescent Girls Summit held at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara Conference Center, hundreds of girls, activists, government officials, and development partners united to demand an immediate end to female genital mutilation (FGM), child marriage, gender-based violence, and the chronic lack of privacy and sanitary facilities in schools.
Presided over by Her Excellency Fatoumata Bah Barrow, the First Lady of The Gambia, the landmark event – organised by UNICEF Banjul Office in partnership with child-focused organisations – placed adolescent girls at the centre of the national conversation.
“We are dedicated to ending the harmful practice of FGM and empowering individuals to live life on their terms,” declared Fatou Kinteh, Minister of Gender, Children, and Social Welfare. The Minister announced plans to provide skills-training grants to more than 500 out-of-school girls and vowed to close the persistent academic gender gap, in which boys currently outperform girls.
A pivotal moment came when 15-year-old Fanta Nyabally took the microphone and pleaded for private, dignified sanitary facilities in every school. Visibly moved, the First Lady responded instantly: “I am honoured to answer this call to action. I pledge to work with UNICEF to ensure such facilities are established in every school across the country and to empower girls to take part in decisions about their own lives.”
The summit also heard powerful testimonies on the exclusion faced by girls with disabilities. Fatou Sabally, a partially deaf student, described being disadvantaged during oral examinations and appealed for alternative assessment methods, earning sustained applause.
Representing the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Permanent Secretary Louis Moses Mendy revealed alarming dropout rates among girls and announced new scholarships to ease the transition from grade 12 to university. “With the right opportunities and support, these girls can make invaluable contributions to our nation’s progress,” he stated.
Closing the summit, Her Excellency Fatoumata Bah Barrow praised UNICEF’s 60 years of service to Gambian children. It issued a nationwide call: “Let us work together to create a society that not only supports but uplifts every girl.”
Participants left the conference centre with renewed determination, carrying a clear message: The Gambia’s adolescent girls will no longer be silent, and the country’s leaders have promised to act.
