Reforming local governance in The Gambia

The Commonwealth Secretariat has organised a workshop aimed at strengthening the ability of senior government officials in The Gambia to carry out local government reforms.

The workshop, taking place from 7 to 9 April 2008 in the country’s capital, Banjul, is being attended by senior officials from both local and central government.

The Secretariat’s Governance and Institutional Development Division (GIDD) has organised the workshop with funding from the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation.

GIDD Director, Jacqueline Wilson, explained that the local government reforms in The Gambia were very important to the eventual success of the government’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Programme (PRSP), and added that they were also in line with the country’s ‘Vision 2020’.

Vision 2020 sets out a broad outline of policies aimed at transforming The Gambia into a middle-income country, over a 25-year period. Central to achieving this goal will be the ability of local governments to effectively deliver services to citizens.

John Wilkins, Head of Special Programme Section in GIDD, noted that for many member countries, “the real challenge is to effectively transfer managerial and financial powers from centralised ministries to local authorities.”

Dr Munawwar Alam, Adviser for Sub-national Administration and Government, said the workshop will offer insights into the challenges and solutions in implementing local government reforms.

“It will also consider country experiences, especially those from Commonwealth Africa, various reform options suitable for the country and how leadership can bring about change,” he added.

Secretariat Links:

• CFTC