PRESS RELEASE
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION (EC) GRANTS 260 MILLION DALASIS IN SUPPORT TO
POVERTY ERADICATION IN THE GAMBIA
On Tuesday 29th June 1999, the Gambian Authorities have signed with the
European Commission (EC) three (3) major financing agreements totalling
21.7 million EURO, the new European currency, and equivalent to 260
million Dalasis.
In accordance with the provisions of the Lome Convention, these
agreements were signed by the National Authorising Officer, Mr. Dodou
Bammy Jagne, Permanent Secretary, Department of State for Finance and
Economic Affairs (DoSFEA) in the presence of Mr. Georges-Marc Andre, the
European Commission Charge d’Affaires in The Gambia. The ceremony was
witnessed by the Secretary of State for Finance and Economic Affairs,
Hon. Famara Jatta, the Attorney General, Secretary of State for Justice,
Hon. Fatou Bomm Bensouda, H.E. the British High Commissioner, Mr. Tony
Millson, who represented the European Union 15 Member States.
A special mention should also be made of the presence of Mr. Jan Van
Kamp, Programme coordinator for EC funded projects, who during 8 years
has worked intensively for The Gambia’s improved future and is leaving
the country on 30th June.
The main objective of this substantial grant is to serve poverty
eradication in The Gambia. The new programmes will have duration of 4 to
5 years. The three priority sectors to be addressed are:
(1) Support to Decentralised Rural Development (SDRD), which with an
amount of 14.8 million EURO, equivalent to 177.6 million Dalasis, will
pursue and extend the EC support to rural development in the North Bank,
Upper River and Western Divisions. For the last 10 years, the EC has
already funded development activities, including the VISA programme, in
these 3 Divisions for a total amount of 27 million EURO (equiv. 324
million Dalasis). SDRD activities will concentrate on i) the
implementation of community based projects aimed at upgrading rural
production and social infrastructure, including the construction of
feeder roads (such as possibly the extension up to Koina of the EC
funded Basse-Fatoto road), ii) diversified income generating activities
of rural poor, specifically targeting women, iii) village water supply
projects, iv) reform of legal and regulatory framework for agricultural
producer organisations and policy and strategy of micro-finance
operations, v) strengthening agricultural research and extension
linkages at national and community levels, specially addressing improved
production techniques and environmental issues, and vi) enhancing
management and planning capacities of local institutions with a view to
support sustainable rural development.
(2) Support to the Education Sector Programme (SESP), which amounts to 5
million EURO, equivalent to 60 million Dalasis. SESP will be part of
the Government’s Third Education Programme, which should also benefit
from other donors’ support (World Bank, DFID-UK, etc.). The EC support
will focus upon rural areas of the country by providing improved access
(particularly to girls) to, and quality, relevance and efficiency of,
basic education (grade 1 to 9). It will also provide an effective
framework for conducing demand-driven rural vocational training
programmes.
(3) Capacity building in the Department of State for Finance, which
amounts to 1.9 million EURO, equivalent to 23 million Dalasis. In order
to facilitate the dialogue between the Department of State for Finance
and Economic Affairs (DoSFEA) and the EC, as well as to establish the
required coordination and monitoring capacity, with the aim to improve
project/programme implementation and to optimise the effective
utilisation and coherence between actions funded from both external and
Government resources, an EC Unit (ECU) is being created as a dedicated
unit under the direct authority of the Permanent Secretary of DoSFEA.
The Coordinator of this unit will be a senior Gambian who will work
together with all departments and actors concerned with EC funded
activities. He will also participate in the coordination among relevant
donors in The Gambia.
Through its support exclusively in the form of grants, the EC has become
The Gambia’s most important development partner. In this context, the EC
would like to recall that respect for human rights, democratic
principles and the rule of law constitute an essential element (article
5) of the Lome Convention, which gears the relations between the EC and
its partners from the ACP (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific) States.
As agreed with the Gambian Authorities, the EC also intends to pursue
its support to the re-vitalisation of the groundnut sub-sector. This
implies, i) a transfer of responsibilities from Government controlled
bodies to private operators, including the producers themselves, ii) to
reinforce the private operators’ capacities and iii) the setting up of
a privately managed price stabilisation fund.
Whilst implementing these new and ongoing major programmes, The Gambia
and the EC will continue preparing further funding, which should
come in support to, i) decentralisation and local government
reform, ii) the maintenance/rehabilitation of important sections of
roads, combined with the setting up of a Highway Authority and a Road
Maintenance Fund, iii) community forestry and agro-forestry and iv)
research in the livestock sector through support to the International
Trypanotolerance Centre (ITC).
**************************
**********
|
