NAMS, Local Gov’t Authorities on Democracy, Good Governance

A one day seminar on the theme ‘Democracy and Good Governance’ for National Assembly Members, Seyfolus, Regional Governors and Mayors was yesterday convened at the Corinthia Atlantic Hotel in Banjul.

Presided over by Speaker Fatoumatta Jahumpa-Ceesay, the seminar organised by the National Assembly and funded by the UNDP Gambia office, brought about 200 participants to discuss ways of strengthening democracy and good governance in The Gambia.

Declaring the seminar opened, Ismaila Sambou, secretary of state for Local Government, Lands and Religious Affairs, described the theme as of particular significance as it will enable local government authorities to review the state of progress with local government reform and decentralisation, one of the important components of the nation’s Governance program.

According to him, The Gambia has come a long way on the journey to democracy. He recalled that one of the main objectives of the July 22nd Revolution led by President Yahya Jammeh was to rectify the electoral and political system which was not transparent enough and did not encourage popular participation and citizen engagement in the political and economic development process of the country.

SoS Sambou then emphasised that Good Governance is the evolutionary process of implementing public authority based upon universal principles of democracy, conducted through established and transparent structures of society.

“It is for this reason that the constitution of the Gambia provides for separate executive, legislative and judiciary powers and structures and an Independent Electoral Commission. These institutions, which should support the process of democracy need in themselves to be strong and effective so that they can serve the interest of people in an open climate of transparency and accountability”, he said.


He added that, this has been the basis for designing the national governance framework which is an expression of government’s recognition that improving the governance environment of the Gambia is a necessary pre-requisite for the maintenance of sustainable development and the welfare of the Gambian people.

He noted that this governance frame work which is anchored on six sub-program components aims at promoting citizens engagement at all levels, improving transparency and accountability in a democratic system of government, strengthening government’s policy making capacity, enhancing the administration of justice, decentralising authority and responsibility and reforming public administration institutions.

SoS Sambou then highlighted the constraints faced in the local government system in the country but noted that with effective support and collaboration of the relevant institutions like the National Assembly, the authorities of the local government sector will soon conform to the democratic expectations of the constitution.

He added that decentralisation is one of the pillars of democratic governance and gives citizens the right and opportunities of participating in the economic and social development of their country through the creation of sub-national layers of governance at the regional and local levels.

He then lauded the enactment of the Local Government Act in 2002 which he said diffuses power between the central and national levels and provides the institutional framework that allows local government authorities to operate important services.

He then expressed confidence that the seminar will enable NAMs and district authorities to identify their respective roles and functions as they relate to local governance and local  democracy in their areas of jurisdiction and thank the office of the Speaker for organising the seminar and the UNDP for funding.

For his part, Muntean Vitale, UNDP Representative in The Gambia stated that democracy requires the existence of effective representative institutions at all levels and in particular a National Assembly in which all components of society are represented and which has the requisite powers and means to genuinely reflect the will of the people, legislating and overseeing government policies and actions noting that this roles are of crucial importance to strengthening and sustaining the democratic spirit.

He noted that good governance and capacity building for good governance is an area of focus for UNDP and it is apparent that good governance, which provides an effective and efficient framework for public management, is indispensable to reducing poverty and empowering citizens to exercise their rights and participate in national affairs.

“The critical importance of establishing democratic governance especially in developing countries was highlighted at the Millennium Summit where world leaders resolved to “spare no effort to promote democracy and strengthen the rule of law, as well as respect for all internationally recognised human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to development”. UNDP recognises this imperative and has as I already alluded to, designated governance as one of the main focus areas, which must be strengthened and expended as part of the strategy for sustainable human development” he said.

In Africa, where the challenges to sustainable development are most formidable, he said that supporting institutions of governance has become a priority for UNDP. He added that in accordance with these principles, in the recent years UNDP supported The Gambia in the implementation of the National Governance Programme (2004-2005), which has helped to extend and deepen understanding of the concept of good governance and the prorgamme has also assisted in short and medium term capacity development in key national institutions and has been instrumental in finalising various private sector oriented legislations designed to provide a business and investment friendly environment in The Gambia.

He added that a project to further support the capacity development of the National Assembly was also signed in July 2007 between the National Assembly and the UNDP within the framework of the Gambia Government - UNDP Country Programme Action Plan, 2007-2011 to further enhance the institutional capacity of the National Assembly as well as to assist in formulating a long term strategy to support sustainable capacity development of the National Assembly, including resource mobilisation of its implementation.

He then reiterated UNDP’s commitment to consolidate the existing partnership between them and the National Assembly towards further strengthening the National Assembly’s capacity to perform its constitutional role in the most effective and efficient manner.

Alhagie Demba Sanyang, Paramount Chief of The Gambia on behalf of the council of seyfolus, expressed delight at the seminar. He thanked the office of the speaker for the initiative noting that the seminar will go a long way in the history of The Gambia.

According to him, supporting democracy and good governance is indeed a step in the right direction and assured President Jammeh that they (Seyfolus) will live up to expectation. He also assured Speaker Jahumpa-Ceesay that they will have the maximum support from the council of seyfolus in national development.