OFFICE OF THE SPEAKER
The Speaker is the first Officer of the Assembly. He is one of the three highest officers of the State, raking third in the official order of precedence after the President and the Vice President.
The Constitution prescribed that the Speaker shall preside in the Assembly at sittings or in her absence the Deputy Speaker or in their absence a member elected by the Assembly for that purpose.
He has the responsibility to interpret the Standing Order of the National Assembly in the Assembly.
Honorable Mariam Jack Denton, is a legal practitioner with 24 years post call experience. A graduate of the University of Ife, Nigeria, with LLB (Hons.) and a BL from the Nigerian Law School, she joined the government civil service as State Counsel, Attorney General’s Chambers to become the Principal Legal Adviser, at the Central Bank of The Gambia.
She is the daughter of a former Speaker of the Gambian Parliament, Sir Alieu Sulayman Jack during the era of Sir Dauda Jawara’s government, and she is the first Gambian woman to be called to the Bar in the early 1980s. She was trained as a human rights lawyer, and she served the government as State Counsel and Senior State Counsel before becoming Legal Adviser to the Central Bank Governor.
A pioneer and committed gender activist, as well as a Member of both The Gambia and the Nigeria Bar Association, Mariam Jack Denton is actively involved in politics for the sole purpose of enhancing democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights as guaranteed in the Constitution of The Gambia.
She was involved in cases dealing with civil right violations, defending private individuals and journalists amongst others.
She served as the Speaker of the National Assembly of The Gambia, having been elected to this position on 11th April, 2017-2022. Her appointment as the Speaker of the new democratic Gambia received celebrations and cheers from the nooks and crannies of the Gambian society.