The Gambia Independence Act 1964 (1964 c. 93) was an Act of the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...

that gave independence to

The Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...

with effect from 18 February 1965. The Act also provided for the continued right of appeal from the Gambian courts to the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Augus ...

, which was abolished in 1998 when

Yahya Jammeh Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh (born 25 May 1965) is a Gambian politician and former military officer who was the leader of The Gambia from 1994 to 2017, firstly as chairman of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC) from 199 ...

decided to reorganise the

Gambian judiciary Gambian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of the Gambia * Gambian people, a person from the Gambia, or of Gambian descent * Culture of the Gambia * Gambian cuisine See also * *Languages of the Gambia In The Gambia, M ...

under the 1997 Constitution of The Gambia, which replaced the 1970 Constitution of The Gambia that had been suspended after the

1994 Gambian coup d'état In the 1994 Gambian coup d'état, a group of soldiers led by 29-year-old Lieutenant Yahya Jammeh seized power in a bloodless coup d'état on the morning of 22 July, ousting Dawda Jawara, who had been President of the Gambia since its independence ...

on 22 July 1994.

Marlborough House conference

On 23 July 1964, a conference was held at

Marlborough House Marlborough House, a Grade I listed mansion in St James's, City of Westminster, London, is the headquarters of the Commonwealth of Nations and the seat of the Commonwealth Secretariat. It was built in 1711 for Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marl ...

to make plans for Gambian independence. A high level delegation from The Gambia, led by

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Dawda Jawara Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara (16 May 1924 – 27 August 2019) was a Gambian politician who served as Prime Minister from 1962 to 1970, and then as the first President of the Gambia from 1970 to 1994. Jawara was born in Barajally, MacCarthy Island ...

, met with a British delegation led by

Duncan Sandys Edwin Duncan Sandys, Baron Duncan-Sandys (; 24 January 1908 – 26 November 1987), was a British politician and minister in successive Conservative governments in the 1950s and 1960s. He was a son-in-law of Winston Churchill and played a key ro ...

, the

Secretary of State for the Colonies The secretary of state for the colonies or colonial secretary was the Cabinet of the United Kingdom, British Cabinet government minister, minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various British Empire, colonial dependencies. Histor ...

. Sandys discussed an independent Gambia's need for financial assistance, a part he envisaged would be played by the British. However, Sandys also noted that independence 'was not all about money'.

Gambian attendees

, Prime Minister of The Gambia * Sheriff Sekouba Sisay, Minister of Finance *

Sheriff Mustapha Dibba Sheriff Mustapha Dibba (10 January 1937 – 2 June 2008) was a veteran Gambian politician who was the 1st Vice-President of the Gambia (1970–1972) and also served as the country's National Assembly speaker from 2002 to 2006. He was also lead ...

Alieu Badara Njie Alieu Badara Njie (17 October 1904 – 21 April 1982) was a Gambian statesman who served as the 3rd Vice-President of the Gambia from 1977 to 1981. He served as the first Gambian Ambassador to Senegal and in Dawda Jawara's first cabinet. He held ...

, Minister of Works and Communication * Amang Kanyi, Minister of Agriculture * Seyfo Omar Mbakeh * Kalilu Singhateh * Famara Wassa Touray * Paul L. Baldeh *

Pierre Sarr N'Jie Pierre Sarr N'Jie (17 July 1909 – 11 December 1993) was a Gambian lawyer and politician who served as the Chief Minister of the Gambia from 1961 to 1962. He was the country's first head of government following the declaration of self-rule in ...

* I. A. S. Burang John * Kebba W. Foon * I. M. Garba Jahumpa * Philip Bridges, Attorney General of The Gambia * F. D. C. Williams * K. J. W. Lane * Rev. J. C. Faye * Sir John Paul, Governor of The Gambia

British attendees

Marquess of Lansdowne Marquess of Lansdowne is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain created in 1784, and held by the head of the Petty-Fitzmaurice family. The first Marquess served as Prime Minister of Great Britain. Origins This branch of the Fitzmaurice famil ...

* Sir John Martin * J. M. Kirsch * H. Steel * R. G. Pettitt

References

*''Whitaker's Almanack: for the year 1966'', complete edition, p. 321. J. Whitaker & Sons, London, 1965 *''Chronological table of the statutes''; HMSO, London. 1993. 1964 in the Gambia History of the Gambia Independence acts in the Parliament of the United Kingdom The Gambia and the Commonwealth of Nations United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1964 The Gambia–United Kingdom relations {{UK-statute-stub