Respected Gambian journalist trainer and Managing Director of the Media Academy for Journalism and Communication (MaJAC), Sang Mendy, has described Gambia’s rise in the Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) press freedom index as a significant achievement, while cautioning against policies that could undermine recent gains in the Gambian media landscape.
”The Gambia’s rise from 58th to 46th in the Reporters Without Borders press freedom ranking is a remarkable achievement worth celebrating.”
In its latest annual report on the situation of press freedom globally, the leading international, Paris-based non-governmental organization, RSF, placed Gambia 46th, raising from last year’s 58th worldwide.
The report came at a time when the Gambia’s main umbrella body for journalists, the Gambia Press Union (GPU), is at loggerheads with the government of the Gambia on the recently proposed Broadcasting and Online Content Regulations 2026, which the union seriously frowned at, describing it as a way of undermining critical journalism in the country.
Mendy, a seasoned journalist trainer who has shaped many young talents, has stated that the improvement demonstrated that progress in press freedom can be possible when democratic space is protected and journalists are able to operate with fewer restrictions.”Moving from 58th in 2025 to 46th globally in 2026, and 8th in Africa, shows that progress is possible when democratic space is protected and journalists are allowed to work with fewer restrictions,” Mendy noted.
While the government on Thursday said the progress reflects its deliberate and sustained progress aimed at promoting democratic governance, freedom of expression, and media independence, Sang hailed journalists, media houses, civil society organisations, and citizens who continue to defend press freedom in the Gambia.
”This improvement reflects years of resilience, advocacy, and sacrifices made by journalists, media houses, civil society organisations, and citizens who continue to defend press freedom since the dark days when the country was ranked 143rd in 2017.”
He argued that the concerns Gambians raised over the proposed Cybercrime Bill and other restrictive regulations should serve as a wake-up call for policymakers and stakeholders.
Gambian human rights group, the Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice (EFSCRJ), also commended the government for sustaining an enabling environment in which journalists and media institutions can operate with greater freedom and safety. But it continued to raise eyebrows about the country’s Information and Communication Act 2009, which it says, still contained provisions that criminalize online criticism of public officials, with section 152 of the Gambian Criminal Offences Act 2025 posing a direct threat to press freedom despite relevant Supreme Court pronouncements.
