The State Intelligence Services has stepped into unfamiliar territory, inviting journalists into its Banjul headquarters for the first time. The agency, once known as the feared National Intelligence Agency under Yahya Jammeh, used the briefing to present itself as a new institution shaped by reform and a culture of openness.
Director General Ousman Sowe addressed reporters after completing a three-week nationwide tour that took senior officials to regional authorities, border communities and other partners.
He described the country’s overall security situation as calm and said there is no reason for public concern now or in the months ahead. According to him, the atmosphere is stable and strengthened by close cooperation among the country’s security services.
Sowe said communities they met during the tour welcomed the SIS’s “human-centered” approach, though some called for stronger security presence in specific areas. He used the briefing to highlight the agency’s reform efforts, saying his office is focused on building a professional and accountable intelligence service. That agenda, he explained, includes improving operations, making deployments more effective, producing reliable intelligence and expanding the SIS’s work with international partners.
He noted that many SIS personnel have recently earned university degrees, reflecting what he described as a renewed commitment to education and training. Part of the reform program involves creating more specialised in-house training and drawing lessons from institutions abroad. Sowe also pointed to recent engagements with the University of The Gambia, the Supreme Islamic Council, the National Human Rights Commission and TANGO as evidence of broader institutional cooperation.
The Director General credited the current government with supporting the agency’s reforms and said SIS investments in capacity building are helping officers keep pace with modern technology and current security demands.
Friday’s briefing marked a notable break from the past for an institution long associated with secrecy and fear. By opening its doors to the press, the SIS is attempting to redefine itself as a service that respects human rights, values public engagement and aims to contribute to national stability in a transparent way.
