I just came back from "The Gambian Association of Mid-West 4th Annual
Conference". This was the best conference I ever attended organized by The
Gambians in the US. The Conference hall was packed full of young and old,
females and males. The audience were so energetic and interacted well with
the presenters. I thank The Gambian Association of Chicago for inviting me to
present a paper as well as their hard work for providing a forum were The
Gambians can ponder about building their nation and creating a better Gambia.
To mention a few, I thank The Gambian Association of Minnesota, Wisconsin
and those who came from other states. To all who attended the conference I
say keep up the great job. Below is the paper I presented. Please enjoy.
The Gambian Association of Mid-West 4th Annual Conference
August 30 - September 1, 2002
Chicago, IL
By
Michael Ba Banutu-Gomez, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Rowan University
College of Business
Department of Management & MIS
2001 Mullica Hill Road
Glassboro, New Jersey 08028-1701
Tel. 856-256-5425
APPRECIATIVE GOVERNANCE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE GAMBIA
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
My paper focuses on the creation of accountable, productive partners and the
nurturing of strong and viable partnership in the pursuit of sustainable
development in The Gambia. In other words, it is an examination of the
relationship between the governing and the governed in an effort to establish
a public policy framework for an appropriate form of appreciative governance
in the Gambia. This paper argues that effective and efficient appreciative
governance within a democratic context is indispensable to the consolidation
of the consensual contract between the people and the government. I conclude
that the creative ideas and energies of the populace must be harnessed in the
search for the kind of sustainable development that does not compromise the
ability of future generations to achieve their dreams and desires.
Suffice to say a redesigned type of appreciative governance demands sharing
of vision, power, skills and responsibility between the government and all
other partners. These are NGOs, grassroots organizations, trade unions,
private sector, social organizations and all other political parties in the
Gambia and the International organizations. Thus the empowerment of people
and partnership building at national, international, sub-national and
sectoral levels is vital for appreciative governance and accountability for a
viable sustainable development in the Gambia.
Therefore, the government of the Gambia, with the active involvement of
partners, must (1) create and nurtures a sustainable accountable and
transparent economic, political and administrative climate for productive
partnership building. The government of the Gambia can do this by
entrenching new structures, rules, systems, procedures and practices; (2)
rekindle the partnerships through appropriate appreciative participatory
management approaches to achieve common national objectives and goals; (3)
empower the people to participate in the process and practice of appreciative
governance through devolution of functions, deconcentration of decision
making and change to even decentralization of administration; and (4)
continue to build upon and negotiate with the international community the
need for a New World Order that recognizes the fundamental reality of
international interdependence and not international dependency.
APPRECIATIVE GOVERNANCE
Appreciative governance is very important because it helps groups, people,
institutions and nations to understand and learn from each other. No groups,
people, institutions and nations can work together without appreciative
governance. The process of appreciative governance is the transfer of
accountability among its members by looking at the positives in all groups,
people, institutions, humans and nations.
Therefore, to practice appreciative governance in the Gambia, both Gambian
government, opposition parties, citizens, professionals and Gambian
intellectuals must begin to look at the positives that each side has to
offer. Once this is in place, both sides must use the positives to create a
dialogue that will serve the best interest of Gambia and her people. The
Gambian government, opposition parties, citizens, professionals and Gambian
intellectuals blaming each other about "lack of sustainable development" does
not address the issue nor does it stop it. Neither of the blame speeds up
development in the Gambia.
Through appreciative governance both sides will create a team, build
partnership, build collaboration and positively work together to speed up
development in Gambia. This will help each side to understand each other's
needs so that positive strategies and creativity blossoms to address the
issues confronting development in the Gambia. These positive strategies and
creativity will serve to the best interest of Gambia. To nurture sustainable
development in the Gambia, appreciative governance must be the practice that
glues and brings Gambian government, opposition parties, citizens, Gambian
intellectuals and professionals together in developing Gambia for her
children and her children's children. The next issue I would like to address
in this article is sustainable development.
THE MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE GAMBIA
It seems to me that The Gambia like any other developing nation finds it
difficult if not impossible to learn from the past. By and large, the
experience of the past should have served us as bases to understanding the
meaning and significance of sustainable development in developing nations.
The Gambia like any other young developing nation must halt and examine our
development before proceeding otherwise we will jeopardize the future of our
children and our children's children. The large accumulation of debt by the
Gambia is clear evidence that we are sacrificing the future of our children.
Suffice it to say, sustainable development is defined as "Development that
meets the needs of present generations without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs" (World Commission on Environment &
Development 1987). To my knowledge, experience and understanding,
sustainable development implies an efficient, effective, comprehensive and
integrated development in which temporal dimensions, from an economic,
political, social and ecological point of view, must be simultaneously met.
The accountability to serve the citizens must be the principle and the
driving force of our development in the Gambia. We must never allow our
political interest to distract us from serving our citizens. For the Gambia
to be proud of herself, sustainable development must persist and last as a
process of positive change without continued external assistance. As Gambians
we have to understand that, by receiving assistance from outside source the
country's public policy lend itself to be controlled or dictated by the giver
or donor. Thus, sustainable development is a holistic approach to development
based on the forms and processes of development that do not undermine the
integrity of the environment and the citizen. This is to say that;
sustainable development contributes and enhances citizen's health, education,
food security, self-security and economic development that embody the concept
of long-term resource stewardship, self-help initiatives and citizen's
participation in the planning process. The guiding principle here is having
and sustaining decentralized management system in the Gambia.
If we are really serious and honest, policies for sustainable development
must be formulated, implemented and monitored as a contribution to long-term
economic development in the Gambia our beloved country. In this way, we will
pave a positive future for our children. Thus, one can say the goals of
sustainable development in the developing nations or the Gambia ranges from
self sufficiency in food production, macroeconomic stability, poverty
alleviation, creating an enabling environment for investment, reducing the
rate of population growth, initiating and developing a process resource
stewardship, encouraging self-help, self-propelled development initiatives,
minimizing waste in production processes, improving efficiency, improving
effectiveness, improving educational institutions, improving health systems,
empowering the citizens, embracing democracy, obeying the rule of law and
valuing human rights. The key goal is to put the interest of the citizens
first. The next section I would like to address is an instrument of
sustainable development.
APPRECIATIVE GOVERNANCE AS AN INSTRUMENT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE
GAMBIA
I define appreciative governance as "the way in which the government values
and protects the life of its citizens, respects human right, respects the
rule of law, involves citizens in public policy creation, accounts for its
actions and practices, keeps the interest of the people at heart, opens for
dialogue, allows freedom of the media and press to prevail, provides the best
quality education, provides the best health systems, builds partnerships and
effectively and efficiently manages the social and economic resources of a
country by creating, nurturing and sustaining a safe and stable nation for
sustainable development". Thus the World Bank defines governance as " the
manner in which power is exercised in the management of a country's economic
and social resources for development" (World Bank 1992a).
We may recall that for the past decade, the emphasis on good governance of a
country has become the focal point of discussion in international arenas.
This is evident in the developing countries where democracy and good
governance are ignored. The lack of these vital elements of the sustainable
development process discourages investors and hence jeopardizes a country's
sustainable development objectives and goals. However, one may also recall
that international development institutions have realized that many
development projects in the world have failed because they lack strong
political accountability and commitments, regardless if the projects were
financially and technically feasible and beneficial to a given nation.
I believe that good and viable governance plays a key role in the design and
formulation of an appropriate public policy framework so that both
stakeholders, private and public sectors can grow, become creative and manage
socioeconomic resources efficiently and effectively for sustainable
development.
In broad term appreciative governance has four major dimensions: the
government values and protects the life of the citizens, and respects human
right and the rule of law; the exercise of authority by government; the type
of government; and government's ability to design, formulate, and implement
national policies. It is my conviction that to successfully manage the social
and economic resources of a country efficiently and effectively, the
government must create and nurture an appropriate and sustainable legal
framework that will ensure the accountability of the president, the
ministers, other civil servants, and private and public institutions. In this
way they will provide public goods that support social and sustainable
economic development in developing nations or the Gambia. Most importantly,
all government must respect and safeguard human rights. By and large, these
ideals remain neglected or ignored as if they do not exist in many developing
nations and thus many development initiative projects and programs did not
succeed in achieving their objectives and goals. Another section I would like
to address is the need for an appreciative, viable and vibrant Gambian
society.
WHAT WE NEED IN THE GAMBIA - APPRECIATIVE, VIABLE AND VIBRANT SOCIETY
The Gambia like any other developing nation is called upon to avoid poor
governance that sometimes came to be associated with the state's inability to
nurture and sustain the viable growth and to create the healthy conditions
for improving productivity and enhancing welfare of the citizens. Thus, the
government of the Republic of the Gambia has to come up with new, vibrant and
sustainable economic strategies that will create a future for our children.
Suffice it to say, strategies for economic resurgence in the Gambia or
developing nations based wholly on actions to influence macro economic
variables that do not appreciate or totally embrace the underline dynamics of
sustainable social and psychological indicators are likely to fail. As you
all may agree with me that human society is viable proposition only as a
consensual affair were by people strive to be involved in a variety of
pursuits. They do so because in their minds, this is what makes their life
vivacious and interesting. People either want to positively exercise the
normal freedoms in economics, religion, politics, health, and education or at
the minimum, want to be assured that they will not be unduly hindered from
doing so at anytime they feel like. Let us pause a moment and think about or
visualize the whole world, by doing this we will begin to see or realize that
the consciousness of the people all over the world including the Gambia is
being awakened. The people of the Gambia are no longer sleeping but well, and
lively awake. Thus, they no longer regard traditional political participation
through political parties and periodic elections or campaigns with empty
promises as enough. The people of the Gambia deserve more than this and most
importantly they are now demanding the natural right to partial and full
inclusion and participation in previously sacrosanct areas of vibrant
economic, political, educational, health and social life for all.
According to Schlesinger (1992) states that " if people's demands are not
met, then they would either peacefully remove themselves from the formal
society and engage in any of myriad activities to circumvent existing
structures or erupt in violence as presently being witnessed in several parts
of the world". I am convinced that the people of the Gambia can no longer
afford to be exempted from any form of development that will affect the life
of their children and their children's children.
By and large, a successful process of sustainable development involves the
drive to restore hope and renew growth in an equitable and sustainable
environment in the Gambia or developing nations. Thus, the drives are as
follows:
1.understanding the legitimate fears of oppression and brutality, concerns
and will of real citizens;
2.the designing and implementing of systems, mechanisms and whose functions
that fulfills the necessary tenets of productive democracy, predictability
and stability, within a paradigm that allows people to seek their objectives
and goals; and
3.communicating and building a sustainable partnership with people about
vibrant economic policy and accountable economic management in a process and
principle that builds and nurtures a trusting feeling of appreciation among
the citizens.
It is my conviction that, in other for the Gambia to successfully achieve the
goals and objectives of sustainable development it requires a new proactive
and sustainable political agenda, a new vibrant political economy of change
that demands to embrace all citizens, political parties, professionals and
most importantly partners in the development process in the Gambia. The next
section addresses appreciative partners and partnership.
APPRECIATIVE PARTNERS AND PARTNERSHIP
By and large, the increasing concern with the lack of social and vivacious
economic development has intensified the call for new approaches to
appreciative governance in the Gambia or developing nations. Thus, good
appreciative governance must come to mean creating valuable investments in
human capital and undertaking minimum transfer programs or projects. In other
words, social investment programs or projects must not be facilitative of
partisan political clientelism and welfarism, but must be aimed at
eradicating the spread of poverty from one generation to another in the
Gambia or developing nations. The truth here is that the Gambia like any
other developing nations must be accountable and mobilize the most inherently
legitimate instruments of democracy that is based on the principle of
inclusive participation and inclusive consensus-building.
It is my conviction that the good appreciative governance in the context of
democracy requires the building of linkages with all the partners, national
and international, formal and informal, and creation of accountable and
sustainable partnerships for our children. Thus, at the domestic level, all
the partners represent all the lawful organizations formed by the people to
help manage their responsible actions.
Some of these organizations include but not limited to formal governmental
structures, sub structures, local government authorities, autonomous and semi
autonomous bodies, political parties, NGOs, trade unions, cooperatives,
business firms, cultural, rural development societies, religious and other
organizations.
Thus, I define partnership as "the practice of appreciative governance and
the nurturing of accountable and productive lawful organizations that
continues to be involved in the pursuit of the common objectives and goals of
achieving vivacious sustainable development for a given nation". I also
believe that all of us have to understand that the process of developing
vivacious partnership takes longer than we think. It calls for commitment,
patient, accountability, tolerance, appreciation, respect and valuing others
views and voices.
Above all, it calls for a delicate balancing and appreciating power
differences between partners of unequal power and the ability for
successfully resolving conflict. To be successful and create and nurture
sustainable development in any form of partnership in the Gambia or
developing nations, there must exist a clear and accountable action oriented
vision, mission and a plan of appreciative collaborative actions that could
be used to achieve common goals and objectives that are the most important
ingredients necessary to bring the different parties together to serve the
society. The next section offers recommendation strategies to be implemented.
RECOMMENDATION STRATEGIES
I define strategy as "actions people, managers and leaders take to attain an
organization, institution and nation goals". The strategies are as follows:
1. Consciousness-raising, Organizing and Capacity Building.
2. Building Partnership with government, NGOs and Business Organizations.
3. Required Internship before Students Graduate from high school, College and
University.
4. Each representative of a District or Constituency must be required to
implement a project that will serve the people. It should be people-oriented
or bottom-up approach to conceptualizing a project.
5. Government building Partnership with Gambians in and out of the Gambia as
well as Africans in Diaspora.
6. Citizens involved in Small Business and Entrepreneurship in The Gambia.
7. Gambians residing out of the Gambia going back home and investing in the
Gambia.
8. The University of the Gambia and Gambia College must build sustainable,
viable and vibrant partnership with Gambian intellectuals and professionals
residing abroad.
9. The Government and the citizens must collaborate and build a campus for
the University of The Gambia that will accommodate local students and attract
foreign students as well as foreign faculty.
10. The Government of the Gambia and the citizens must utilize Gambian
intellectuals and professionals to serve as technical advisers for the
country.
11. The President of the Republic of the Gambia must make it his/her duty to
meet with all Gambians in a country that he/she visits and not just those who
support his or her party.
12. Promotion and development of agriculture so that the country will be self
sufficient in food production. This will curtail food imports in the Gambia.
13. Promotion and development of tourism and the re-export trade which are
among the major sources of revenue to the country.
14. Empowerment of the people and involving them in the projects so that they
have the sense of ownership in them.
15. Provide a conducive or an enabling environment that will attract foreign
direct investment (FDI) and investors in the country.
16. The government, the citizens and all religious leaders must speak up and
fight against female circumcision in the Gambia.
17. The government, the citizens and all religious leaders must speak up and
fight against arranged forced marriages in the Gambia.
18. The government and the citizens must immediately create and produce a
local Gambian product that it must effectively and efficiently market to
other countries so that it can offset the Dalasi inflation rate.
19. The government and the citizens must continue to develop and market
Juffreh until it is recognized and utilized as one of the great historical
and tourist attractions in the world.
20. Please add your own.
CONCLUSION
I conclude that when the government of the Gambia, all political parties and
all our citizen become accountable and committed and accept responsibility as
well as stop pointing fingers to our nations problems to someone or a
particular party or citizen, then we will have a true, viable and vibrant
sustainable development that will serve and provide a hopeful future for our
children and our children's children. From this we can proclaim that we have
a vivacious nation that we all can be proud to be a part of our life. United
we can create and produce a viable and vibrant society that is productive.
Divided we can create and produce a poor and dependent society that is
useless and unproductive. Which way the people of the Republic of The
Gambia?
REFERENCES
Schlesinger, Jr., A.M., (1992), The Disuniting of America: Reflections on a
Multiracial Society, W.W. Norton &Co., London and New York.
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