“Africa Cannot Afford Empty Promises”: Gambia’s Justice Minister Delivers Powerful Challenge to African Leaders at ACHPR Opening

The opening of the 87th Ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights was anything but ceremonial after Dawda A. Jallow delivered a hard-hitting and emotionally charged address warning that Africa’s human rights institutions risk losing credibility if governments fail to turn resolutions into real protection for ordinary people.

Speaking before commissioners, diplomats, civil society leaders, and delegates from across the continent today in Banjul, Jallow painted a grim picture of a world shaken by war, shrinking civic space, and rising authoritarianism.

“We live at a time of global turmoil,” he declared. “War has destroyed communities. Democracies are under threat. Technology, which should empower us, is being weaponized to surveil and manipulate us.”

His remarks set the tone for what observers described as one of the most candid opening statements delivered at the Commission in recent years.

“The Commission Must Deliver”

In a speech that repeatedly drew applause, the Gambian Justice Minister warned that Africa could no longer afford symbolic commitments without implementation.

“That Commission is at more than time. It demands delivery,” he said, in a direct call for accountability from African governments.

Jallow highlighted escalating crises across the continent, including the conflicts in Sudan, the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Sahel, noting that millions continue to be displaced while the rule of law weakens.

He also warned that vulnerable populations — women, children, persons with disabilities, indigenous communities, informal workers, and climate-displaced Africans — are facing “compounding vulnerabilities” that existing legal systems were never designed to confront.

A Rarely Heard Admission From Government

Perhaps the most striking moment came when Jallow openly acknowledged Africa’s governance failures instead of attempting to conceal them.

“Our continent has real and critical problems,” he said. “Acknowledging them honestly is not weakness. It is the beginning of credible leadership.”

The statement was widely interpreted as a subtle challenge to governments that resist criticism from civil society and international human rights bodies.

Yet amid the criticism, Jallow also offered a forceful defense of Africa’s human rights system, insisting that the continent’s legal frameworks were born from African struggles and values — not imported from elsewhere.

“The African Charter was not a borrowed instrument,” he declared. “It was born from our own history, our own suffering, our own determination to define dignity on our own terms.”

Invoking the philosophy of Ubuntu, he described African human rights traditions as among “the most sophisticated ethical frameworks in the world.”

Gambia Positions Itself as a Reform Example

Drawing from The Gambia’s own experience under more than two decades of authoritarian rule, Jallow reflected on the dangers of institutional collapse.

“Our country understands what it means when institutions fail, when rights are stripped away, and when justice becomes the privilege of the powerful,” he said.

He pointed to ongoing reforms in The Gambia since the democratic transition, including expanded legal aid, improved judicial access for marginalized communities, and stronger responses to gender-based violence.

In a significant diplomatic moment, Jallow also referenced The Gambia’s role before the International Court of Justice in the genocide case concerning the Rohingya people, describing it as proof that human rights obligations “do not stop at national borders.”

Six Demands to Rescue Africa’s Human Rights System

The Minister used the platform to unveil six major priorities for strengthening Africa’s human rights architecture:

• Accelerating the domestication of African human rights treaties into national law;
• Properly funding the African Commission, African Court, and national human rights institutions;
• Linking human rights mechanisms with peace and security systems;
• Addressing emerging threats such as climate displacement, cyber abuse, and algorithmic discrimination;
• Giving young people and marginalized groups greater influence in continental decision-making;
• Ensuring human rights protections reach ordinary citizens, not just conference halls.

“Good resolutions without implementation mechanisms are abstractions, not protections,” he warned.

“The Legacy Will Be Measured by Protection, Not Resolutions”

In one of the speech’s most emotional passages, Jallow shifted focus from institutions to ordinary Africans — market women, displaced children, survivors of violence, and poor families unable to access justice.

“The real test of every institution and every government is whether the people who depend on these protections can continue their lives in dignity,” he said.

Closing his address with a sweeping appeal for bold action, the Justice Minister urged delegates to ensure the Commission’s work reaches communities far beyond conference rooms and diplomatic speeches.

“The legacy of this Commission will be measured not by the sophistication of its resolutions,” he declared, “but by the protection it delivers to ordinary African men, women, and children.”

As delegates rose in applause, many observers noted that the speech may become one of the defining moments of the session — a rare blend of honesty, urgency, and continental ambition at a time when Africa’s human rights institutions face mounting pressure to prove their relevance.