Land disputes account for nearly two-thirds of all cases before Gambian courts, according to Lands Minister Hamat N.K. Bah, who announced sweeping reforms to overhaul the country’s land administration system.
Speaking on GRTS Radio, Mr. Bah revealed that approximately 62 percent of court cases are tied to land ownership and usage conflicts, a figure he described as alarming. He warned that the growing number of disputes is straining the judiciary and diverting resources from other pressing legal matters.
“The scale of the problem has prompted plans to establish a special court dedicated to land disputes at the High Court level,” Mr. Bah said. “This should start soon; the retired chief justice already set up the committee for the court.”
The minister cautioned that unresolved land conflicts could pose a serious threat to social stability, particularly in The Gambia, one of mainland Africa’s smallest countries. With rapid population growth and rising demand for property, tensions over ownership and access have intensified.
The government’s planned reforms include digitizing land records and strengthening oversight to reduce fraud and overlapping claims. Officials believe that a dedicated land court will help streamline cases and deliver faster resolutions, easing pressure on the broader judicial system.
Observers note that land remains one of the most sensitive issues in Gambian society, with disputes often spilling into communities and fueling broader tensions. The government’s crackdown aims to prevent these conflicts from escalating further.
