At dawn in Banjul, the National Assembly of The Gambia begins its work. Behind its quiet walls, laws are reviewed, committees meet, and decisions are shaped that affect millions of lives. Here, democracy is less about grand gestures than the steady, disciplined work of dedicated public servants.

Among them are four young professionals whose contributions over the past year have helped strengthen the institution from within: Aji Sainey Kah, Mbakeh Camara, Ndey Ngoneh Jeng, and Saikou Suwareh Jabai.

From June 2025 to June 2026, they served as Parliamentary Fellows in a twelve-month programme funded by the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the EU-UNDP, the Gambia’s Responsive and Democratic Transition (GREAT) Project. The fellowship was designed to strengthen parliamentary capacity and support the modernization of the National Assembly. To grasp what that year truly meant, one must start by understanding the people behind the programme.

Long before becoming fellows, they were Gambians who believed public institutions could serve people better. Shaped by their communities, education, and professional experiences, they learned the value of justice, accountability, inclusion, and service. Their journeys differ, but they are united by a shared conviction: democracy matters most when it improves the lives of ordinary people.

For Aji Sainey Kah, that belief has always begun with trust.

Growing up, she was fascinated by the power of law to shape society. Later, as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of The Gambia, she built a career across regulatory practice, legal reform, and civil society advocacy. Whether working on telecommunications regulation, contributing to discussions around data protection and cybercrime legislation, or supporting youth and women's empowerment, she encountered a recurring challenge: citizens often judge institutions not by their promises, but by whether they act fairly and transparently.

Her conviction deepened during her fellowship as a Legal Research and Analysis Fellow. Much of her work took place outside public view, involving evidence review, legal analysis, report preparation, and support to the National Assembly’s Legal Department. She contributed to investigations, parliamentary hearings, and litigation involving the Assembly. Some assignments required long hours and intense focus; others took her into unfamiliar territory, including parliamentary procedures never before tested in The Gambia.

"The strength of an institution is measured not only by the laws it upholds, but by the rigor and evidence behind every decision it makes," Kah says, leaning back thoughtfully after a meeting. "Legal grounding is what turns authority into trust."

For Kah, parliamentary legal work is ultimately about people. Every investigation reflects a citizen’s call for accountability, and every procedural decision raise questions of fairness. When Parliament exercises effective oversight, it reinforces public confidence that institutions can respond to ordinary Gambians’ concerns. During the fellowship, she witnessed how careful legal analysis could help safeguard democratic processes. The experience made such a strong impression that the National Assembly retained her after the programme as Deputy Clerk for Legal and Procedural Matters.

A few offices away, Mbakeh Camara offers a different perspective on institutional change.

While many development professionals open conversations with budgets or programmes, Camara begins with questions. In the early months of his fellowship as Cross-Sector Strategic Partnerships and Resource Mobilisation Fellow, he spent many hours meeting staff from across the Assembly. He listened more than he spoke. He asked departments what they needed, what challenges they faced, and what future they imagined for the institution.

His approach reflected a broader philosophy shaped through years working on partnerships and institutional development.

"You cannot build meaningful reform without listening," he says. "People support what they help create."

What emerged from those conversations was far more than a resource mobilisation strategy. Camara helped develop the National Assembly's first integrated framework for cross-sector strategic partnerships, international cooperation and resource mobilisation. To some observers, such work might appear abstract. Yet he describes partnerships in deeply human terms.

A partnership, he explains, can connect a parliamentary staff member in Banjul with expertise from another legislature. It can open opportunities for training, knowledge sharing and institutional learning. It can create pathways through which ideas travel, and reforms take root.

"The greatest lesson from this fellowship is that institutions are transformed not by the resources they receive, but by the quality of the partnerships they build," he reflects. "When those partnerships are grounded in trust, shared ownership and a common vision, they become a catalyst for lasting institutional change."

His work contributed to a process that eventually informed reforms across the Assembly, with most recommendations adopted and implemented. Yet what seems to matter most to him is not the framework itself. It is the culture of collaboration that helped produce it.

For Camara, the strongest institutions are not those that stand alone. They are the ones willing to learn, adapt, and work collectively toward shared goals.

If partnerships are about relationships, legislative drafting is about imagination.

Every law begins as an idea before it becomes words on a page. Ndey Ngoneh Jeng understands that better than most.

A respected legal professional with extensive experience in human rights, governance and policy development, Jeng entered the fellowship already carrying an impressive résumé. She had worked with international organisations, supported constitutional reform initiatives and built a reputation as a skilled legislative drafter. Yet the fellowship offered something different: a chance to work from within the legislative institution itself.

As Legislative Drafting Fellow, she helped shape some of the most important legislative discussions. Her responsibilities included reviewing laws, drafting amendments, and supporting Members of the National Assembly better understand legislative processes. It covered issues such as parliamentary powers and privileges, elections, transitional justice, and women’s political representation. Yet when asked about legislative drafting, she rarely starts with the law. Instead, she begins with people.

She speaks of women whose voices remain underrepresented in political decision-making. She talks about communities seeking fairer governance. She reflects on young Gambians eager to participate in shaping their country's future.

A quote by Nigerian poet Ijeoma Umebinyuo has become a guiding principle for her: "Nobody warned you that the women whose feet you cut from running would give birth to daughters with wings."

The quote resonates because it reflects her conviction that progress is inevitable.

Throughout the fellowship, Jeng contributed to legislative initiatives aimed at broadening participation and strengthening representation. She drafted, reviewed, and refined language with the understanding that each clause has an impact beyond Parliament. A sentence added to legislation today helps create opportunities for future generations.

"There is a human story behind every law," she says. "The challenge is to remember that while you are drafting."

Her year at the National Assembly reinforced the connection between policy and everyday life, reminding her that governance is not an abstract concept. It is the framework through which citizens pursue justice, opportunity and dignity.

For Saikou Suwareh Jabai, the key challenge is ensuring that citizens understand what their institutions are doing.

Before joining the National Assembly, Jabai spent years as a journalist. He reported stories. Interviewed public officials. Followed debates. Explained complicated issues to audiences seeking clarity. Later, his work with international organisations expanded his understanding of strategic communication and public engagement.

When he arrived at Parliament as Media and Communications Fellow, he quickly identified a question that sits at the centre of democratic governance: how can citizens trust institutions they rarely hear from or understand?

The answer, he believes, lies in communication.

"Communication is not a support function," he says. "It is the bridge between an institution and the people it serves."

During the fellowship, Jabai helped strengthen the National Assembly’s internal and external communications. He contributed to developing policies, frameworks, and guidance aimed at improving transparency, media engagement, and public understanding of parliamentary processes. He also worked closely with journalists, parliamentary staff, and stakeholders to support more effective communication systems.

Behind the communication strategy was a larger goal.

A citizen listening to the radio in a rural community should be able to understand decisions that affect their life. A journalist covering Parliament should have access to reliable information. Young people interested in governance should be able to engage meaningfully with public institutions.

"If the National Assembly Service is the engine of the National Assembly, then Communications is its oil," he says with a smile. "It is the bridge between the House and the people it serves."

Together, these four fellows represent more than individual success stories. Their work reflects a broader effort to strengthen democratic governance in The Gambia during a period of continued democratic transition.

Through the EU-UNDP GREAT Project, the European Union and UNDP invested in both institutional systems and the people who can sustain reforms beyond the life of the project. The programme's impact was visible at the fellowship close-out ceremony, which brought together parliamentary leaders, government representatives, civil society organizations, diplomatic missions, and development partners.

At the fellowship’s closing ceremony, the Assembly’s leadership underscored the fellows’ impact. The Speaker of the National Assembly noted that they had not merely observed the institution’s work but actively helped strengthen it, bringing “a vibrant energy that has revitalized our committee rooms and administrative directorates.” Clerk Kalipha MM Mbye echoed this view, praising the fellows’ “remarkable professionalism, dedication, and competence” throughout their placement and noting that, in recognition of their contributions, the Assembly had begun integrating some of them into its permanent establishment.

The National Assembly's decision to retain two fellows further demonstrated the programme's value and its contribution to institutional sustainability.

Yet the fellowship's most important legacy may be less tangible. It lives in the confidence of a lawyer committed to evidence-based accountability, a partnerships specialist who believes in listening, a legislative drafter advancing inclusion, and a communications professional dedicated to public engagement.

As each day ends and the lights of the National Assembly dim, the work of democracy continues. Across The Gambia, citizens seek representation, accountability, and opportunities to participate in public life.

The stories of Aji Sainey Kah, Mbakeh Camara, Ndey Ngoneh Jeng, and Saikou Suwareh Jabai matter because they highlight the people who quietly strengthen the institutions that serve the public. Their journeys remind us that strong democracies are built not only through laws, procedures, or buildings, but also through individuals committed to public service and to deepening the connection between citizens and the institutions that represent them.