The Gambia hosted the first edition of the Western Africa Forum on Digital Governance (WADGOV Forum) from September 13–14, 2023, jointly organized by the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy of the Gambia and the United Nations University Operational Unit in Policy-Driven Electronic Governance (UNU-EGOV) in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the ECOWAS.
The Forum aims to support West African Member States in harnessing digital governance mechanisms for promoting sustainable development and more inclusive societies. Participants were drawn from more than 17 countries.
Forum was officially launched by the Hon. Minister of Communications & Digital Economy , Hon. Ousman A. Bah.
The Forum also aims at joining governments, government agencies, and non-government organizations in the region in order to broadly share experiences and best practices, foster synergies, promote the design and assessment of regional and national strategies for digital governance and citizen empowerment in Western Africa, draw attention of international donors to the WADGOV community and the Gambia in particular, help to coordinate efforts and avoid duplications, and promote the e-governance achievements of the member countries.
At the end of the forum, countries agreed on recommendations know as The Banjul Recommendations with the establishment of a West Africa Digital Governance Committee to be chaired by the Gambia.