The Gambia
Tools
Tasks
Users
Scope
Training
Regulation
Insights
Information uploaded as at June 2026
AT A GLANCE
The Gambia's current AI deployment is very limited, including in the justice sector. AI has not been institutionalised in The Gambia’s criminal justice system as at June 2026, and there are no reported uses of AI by law enforcement, prosecutors, or defence lawyers. Nonetheless, the government is pursuing broader digital transformation efforts aimed at improving access to justice and efficiency. A key initiative is the 2023 ‘Improving Access to Justice in The Gambia’ project, launched in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, which introduced an automated court recording and transcription system (developed by Q-Soft Denovo) to reduce case backlogs. Initially piloted in Banjul’s High Court and later expanded to several rural magistrate courts, the system does not yet incorporate AI but is described as laying the groundwork for future AI integration. There is no formal AI training framework for justice sector actors.
Likewise, as at June 2026, there is no dedicated legislation regulating the use of AI in The Gambia. To the extent policy papers and national frameworks address AI and digitisation, it is within the context of accelerating the country’s technology-driven economy and improving government efficiency by developing and implementing e-government services.
USE
The Gambia’s adoption of AI in the criminal process has not been institutionalised. There are, however, government-led efforts to advance the digital transformation of the country’s justice system to make it more accessible and efficient. The judiciary has also noted that AI offers unprecedented opportunities, but has not articulated how or to what extent it seeks to integrate AI into court proceedings.
Law enforcement
As at June 2026, there are no reported cases of law enforcement units in The Gambia making use of AI.
Prosecutors
As at June 2026, there are no reported cases of prosecutors in The Gambia making use of AI.
Courts
As at June 2026, Courts are the only actors in criminal proceedings that have made efforts to adopt AI technology.
Case management
In March 2023, The Gambia launched the ‘Improving Access to Justice in The Gambia’ project in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. The primary initiative under this project is an automated transcription and recording system to aid case management and reduce backlog. The system, developed by Q-Soft Denovo, was first piloted in the capital Banju’s High Court, and subsequently rolled out to lower magistrate courts operating in the rural divisions of West Coast (Brikama), North Bank (Kerewan, Farfenni), and Upper River (Basse Sante Su). As at March 2026, the digital recording system does not yet incorporate AI. It has,however, been described as providing the foundations to support the integration of AI into Gambia’s legal proceedings.
The recent introduction [...] of advanced court reporting tools and software in the courts is a monumental step towards speedy and impartial access to justice for all. Adopting new state-of-the-art technology has modernised our justice system, learning to more efficient and faster delivery of justice.
Defence
As at June 2026, there are no reported cases of defence in The Gambia making use of AI.
Victims
Under criminal procedure rules in The Gambia, victims do not have standing in criminal proceedings (Criminal Procedure Act 2025). Nonetheless, certain provisions of the Act may apply to victims, including provisions addressing the protection of a victim’s identity.
As at June 2026, there are no reported uses of AI by victims in criminal proceedings in The Gambia.
Training
As at June 2026, The Gambia has not developed systematic or mandatory training initiatives for law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, lawyers or other advocates on the use of AI.
However, in March 2023, 25 judges of the superior courts of The Gambia took part in a two-day seminar organised by UNESCO to promote good judicial practices and to improve national standards. The topic of AI was discussed and in a post-seminar interview, a Banjul High Court judge acknowledged the importance of integrating AI into the courts, noting its wide adoption elsewhere, but also reflected on the need for Gambian officials to first develop legislation to regulate AI.
Regulation
There is no general legislation on the use of AI in force in The Gambia, nor are there dedicated laws or guidelines expressly regulating its use in court or related risks, such as hallucinations or deepfakes. Nonetheless, The Gambia’s government is concerned about the dangers of AI and its potential threat to democracy by disseminating misinformation, and has called for building legal and policy frameworks and oversight bodies to guide AI development.
Guidelines for practitioners
In The Gambia, the Legal Practitioners Act (2016) and the Code of Conduct for Legal Practitioners (2011) lay out the professional and ethical standards for lawyers. The Code and the Act should apply to violations of ethical rules by legal practitioners involving the use of AI tools. The Gambia does not have specific guidelines which specifically address the use of AI by lawyers. For example, there are no obligations on judges, lawyers or litigants to disclose the use of AI in court proceedings. However, given that other industries, including journalism, have adopted AI-specific guidelines, lawyers may follow suit in the near future.
Criminal procedure rules
The Gambia’s Criminal Procedure Code (1993), which provides the legal framework governing the procedure for the administration of criminal justice, may apply to the use of AI in criminal proceedings although it does not currently address AI.
Data protection legislation
In September 2025, The Gambia introduced the Data Protection and Privacy Law, which regulates the collection, processing, storage, and sharing of personal data by public and private entities and seeks to safeguard the privacy of citizens in an increasingly digital economy. Although not strictly related to AI, it nonetheless indicates the government’s efforts to create a ‘collective vision of a more secure, inclusive, and rights-respecting digital society for all Gambians’. This could impact the way lawyers are required to handle sensitive client data, especially if they incorporate AI tools into their practice.
Human rights
The Gambian legal framework is anchored in the Constitution, which stands as the supreme law. Accordingly, the use of AI tools in criminal proceedings must comply with these constitutional principles. Article 23 of the Constitution protects the right to privacy. Article 24 of the Constitution concerns the ‘protection of the law and fair trial’ and, among others, enshrines a person’s right to be tried before an ‘independent and impartial court’ and presumed innocent until proven guilty. Any AI tools applied in criminal proceedings must comply with these provisions.
International human rights treaties to which The Gambia is a party may further influence how AI is used in criminal proceedings. Relevant provisions include fair trial guarantees in Article 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, protections of the right to a fair trial and the right to privacy in Articles 14 and 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Articles 16 and 40 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Outlook
The Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy’s National Digital Economy Master Plan 2023-2033 indicates that The Gambia seeks to foster the country’s AI capabilities. The Master Plan recommends the creation of a National Artificial Intelligence Research Centre, which would serve as a hub for research, development, and innovation, fueling the country’s digital economy. Consistent with the Master Plan, the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology signed a memorandum of understanding with the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences in Senegal to increase The Gambia’s training opportunities in AI. The Gambia is also deliberating on how to incorporate AI into forensic investigations.
The Master Plan further discusses digitising and streamlining the legal processes within the country’s justice system. The Master Plan mentions online case management systems, electronic filing of legal documents, and virtual court systems. It also highlights the need to strengthen the capacity of law enforcement and the judiciary on cybercrime, though it does not specifically address the use of AI in this context.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad has highlighted the need for responsible governance and regulation to prevent misuse of AI. As at June 2026, however, there is no proposed legislation on AI.
Since 2023, The Gambia has been part of the GLACY-e (Global Action on Cybercrime Enhanced), a project funded by the EU and the Council of Europe, which focuses on improving the country’s cybercrime legislation and electronic evidence capabilities with the goal of fostering effective international cooperation in this field. An anticipated outcome of the project is to develop and implement electronic evidence legislation. As at June 2026, there is no confirmation that The Gambia has implemented an electronic evidence bill. If the country enacts such a bill in the future, it may be relevant to the use of AI tools in court.
Furthermore, in March 2024, The Gambia’s parliament introduced a proposed Cybercrime Bill, which has been widely criticised as an effort to restrict free speech and freedom of the press by broadly criminalising various forms of online speech. The bill makes no reference to AI. As at June 2026, it has not been enacted.
CASES
As at June 2026, there are no reported court cases where judges in The Gambia have addressed the use of AI in criminal proceedings. There are also no reported cases on deepfakes.