Gambia - Gambie (GM)

1. Language information / Données sur les langues

1.1 Languages spoken / Langues parlées

a) Official / Officielle(s) :

No official language. English serves in this role de facto.

b) National, indigenous / Nationale(s), indigène(s) :

Several languages are spoken of which Mandingo, Wolof and Fula are the main vehicular languages.

Ethnologue has a list at http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=GM

c) Relevant pages in the Major Languages section of this report / Pages appropriées dans la section de ce rapport sur les Langues principales :

Manding (Mandinka), Wolof, Fula (Pulaar), Serer

1.2 Language policy / Politique de langue

a) Laws/legislation / Lois/législation :

The site L'aménagement linguistique dans le monde has a page on the Gambia at http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/afrique/gambie.htm

b) Agencies / Agences :

Curriculum Development Centre
Ministry of Education
10, Cameron Street - BANJUL
(Source: UNESCO, 1985)

c) Languages in education/literacy / Langues dans l'éducation/l'alphabétisation :

UNDP (2006) gives a literacy figure (without reference to which language[s]) of: 38%

1.3 Writing in national/indigenous languages / Ecriture en langues nationales/indigènes

a) Orthographies / Orthographes :

Before colonisation and still today, the Arabic script is used to write the languages of the Gambia.

Latin script is also used [verify standardization, level of use, etc.]

b) Print publications / Editions imprimées :

1.4 Other comments / Autre commentaire :

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2. ICT situation / Situation des TIC

2.1 Infrastructure / Infrastructure

a) Telephones / Téléphones :

• Fixed lines: Telephone mainlines: 26 per 1000 people (APC)
• Mobile subscriptions: 130,000 (9.5 per 100 people) (ITU 2004 cited in Vodafone 2005)

b) Radio stations / Stations de radio :

c) Connectivity / Connectivité :

• International internet bandwidth / Bande passante internationale d'internet :
• ISPs / FSI :
• Geographic coverage / Couverture géographique :

2.2 Computer & internet access / Accès aux ordinateurs et à l'internet

a) Computers & points of access / Ordinateurs et lieux d'accès :

• Number of computers / Nombre d'ordinateurs: 12.7 per 1000 people (APC)
• Cybercafés / Cybercafés:
• Project telecentres / Télécentres de projets:

b) Internet / Internet :

• Dial-up subscribers / Abonnés par ligne téléphonique :
• Internet users / Utilisateurs de l'internet : 49,000 Internet users as of Sept/05, 3.3% of the population, per ITU (Internet World Stats)

c) Other / Autre :

• Digital Opportunity Index (DOI): 0.21 (ITU 2006)

2.3 ICT policy / Politique de TIC

The Communication Initiative Network site has a page on "Gambia ICT4D National Policy" at http://www.comminit.com/en/node/148313/(approve sites)

The APC page, "ICT Policy in Gambia," has some information and links:

• In English: http://rights.apc.org/africa/index.shtml?apc=s21826e_1
• En français: http://afrique.droits.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=s21826e_1

2.4 ICT4D/E & ICT training / TIC pour le développement/éducation, et formation en TIC

2.5 Resources / Ressources

Gambia Chapter of the Internet Society (ISOC)

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3. Localisation situation / Situation de localisation

3.1 Country web content / Contenu web du pays

3.2 Web content in indigenous languages / Contenu web en langues indigènes

(See also specific language pages.)

3.3 Software localisation / Localisation de logiciel

Not aware of any software localisation activities.

(See also specific language pages.)

3.4 Projects & organisations / Projets et organisations

3.5 Localisation policy / Politique de localisation

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4. References / Références

APC, "ICT Policy in Gambia," Africa ICT Policy Monitor, http://rights.apc.org/africa/index.shtml?apc=s21826e_1 ("Politiques de TIC en/au Gambie," Observatoire des politiques des TIC en Afrique, http://afrique.droits.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=s21826e_1 )

International Telecommunications Union (ITU). 2006. World Information Society Report 2006. Geneva: ITU. http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/publications/worldinformationsociety/2006/wisr-web.pdf

______. 2004. African Telecommunication Indicators 2004. Geneva: ITU.

Internet World Stats: Africa. 2006. http://internetworldstats.com/africa.htm

Leclerc, Jacques. L'aménagement linguistique dans le monde, "Gambie," http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/afrique/gambie.htm

SIL International, Ethnologue: Languages of the World, "Languages of Gambia," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=GM

UNDP. 2006. ''Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis. Human Development Report 2006.'' New York: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). [Human development index Adult literacy rate (% ages 15 and older) (HDI) http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/statistics/indicators/3.html ]

UNESCO Regional Office for Education in Africa. 1985. African Community Languages and Their Use in Literacy and Education: A Regional Survey. Dakar: UNESCO.

Vodafone. 2005. "Africa: The Impact of Mobile Phones." The Vodafone Policy Paper Series, Number 3, March 2005. http://www.vodafone.com/assets/files/en/GPP%20SIM%20paper.pdf

Wikipedia, "The Gambia," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gambia

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