Gambiaj.com – (Banjul, The Gambia) – As 2026 gets underway, Gambians who are deaf or hard of hearing remain without sign language interpretation on national television, despite repeated government assurances that the long-promised service would be introduced.
The issue resurfaced publicly during a live phone-in segment on Coffee Time with Peter Gomez, where Lamin Manneh, chairman and secretary general of the National Organization for Disabled and Orphans, directly questioned the minister of information, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, over the continued delay.
Manneh expressed frustration over what he described as years of unfulfilled commitments, stressing that the absence of sign language interpretation continues to exclude people with hearing disabilities from accessing vital national information.
“With all the promises made over the past years, when will this finally happen? It is unfair to people with disabilities across the country,” he said during the program.
In response, Dr. Ceesay said the government is now in the final stages of preparation and that the service is expected to commence later this month. According to Manneh’s account of the exchange, the minister explained that service providers have already conducted technical simulations behind the scenes at the television studio.
The initial rollout, Dr. Ceesay reportedly said, will focus on the 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. news bulletins, with plans to gradually extend sign language interpretation to additional programs.
“It’s not something you just implement overnight. We are committed to providing this service, and the necessary processes are in place,” the minister said.
Despite the renewed assurances, disability rights advocates remain skeptical. Manneh noted that similar timelines and explanations have been offered in the past, yet national broadcasts have continued without sign language interpretation.
He warned that, in the meantime, people with hearing disabilities are still being denied access to critical information on public affairs, health, and national emergencies.
Access to information is enshrined as a fundamental right under the Gambian Constitution and reinforced by international human rights and disability conventions to which The Gambia is a signatory. Advocacy groups argue that the prolonged failure to operationalize inclusive broadcasting reflects deeper systemic weaknesses in the protection of disability rights.
As the new year unfolds, the gap between official promises and the daily realities of Gambians who are deaf or hard of hearing remains stark, raising renewed questions about when inclusive national broadcasting will finally move from commitment to practice.
