Cybercrime Bill, 2023 (The Gambia)

The Cybercrime Bill, 2023 is The Gambia's pending dedicated cybercrime legislation. It was formally tabled before the National Assembly on 4 March 2024 by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy. As at June 2026 it has not been enacted: following first and second readings it was referred to a standing committee for public consultation and scrutiny, with the committee tasked to report back to the wider Assembly. The Bill's stated objectives are to address cyber infringements and crimes perpetrated through computer systems, to strengthen the legal framework for the investigation of cybercrime, to establish procedures for acquiring and handling electronic evidence, and to foster international cooperation in combating cyber threats. It is intended to consolidate and modernise cyber-related criminal provisions that are currently spread across the Information and Communications Act 2009 (as amended in 2013) and the Criminal Code 2009. The Bill has attracted substantial criticism from press-freedom and digital-rights organisations, including the Gambia Press Union, ARTICLE 19 and the International Press Institute. Critics argue that several content offences, notably 'false news' and 'incitement', partly carried over from the 2009 Criminal Code and the 2013 ICA amendment, are defined too broadly and risk being used by authorities and security agencies to suppress online expression, journalism and dissent. These concerns mirror wider debates across West Africa about cybercrime laws being used to police speech rather than cyber-dependent crime, and have shaped the parliamentary consultation process. The Bill complements The Gambia's National Cyber Security Policy 2020-2024 and the Personal Data Protection and Privacy Act 2025. It is recorded here as a Draft Bill to capture the pending state of Gambian cybercrime law. A reliable official consolidated text of the Bill has not been located from a primary source; the entry should be updated with the primary Bill text and, on enactment, the final Act, enactment and commencement dates, and the designated enforcement body. Source language: English.

1. 1Pending dedicated cybercrime statute tabled before the National Assembly on 4 March 2024; not yet enacted as at June 2026 (referred to committee for public consultation)
2. 2Stated objectives: criminalise offences committed through computer systems; establish procedures for acquiring electronic evidence; enable international cooperation
3. 3Intended to consolidate and replace cyber-related provisions currently spread across the Information and Communications Act 2009 (as amended 2013) and the Criminal Code 2009
4. 4Controversial content offences, notably 'false news' and 'incitement', criticised by the Gambia Press Union, ARTICLE 19 and IPI as overbroad and a threat to press freedom and online expression
5. 5Sits alongside The Gambia's National Cyber Security Policy 2020-2024 and the Personal Data Protection and Privacy Act 2025
6. 6Primary Bill text not yet located from an official source, flagged for reviewer