By Fatoumatta K Jallow
Women’s Bureau on Saturday July 28th 2018, concluded a two day training of National Women Councilors held at Nana Conference Hall, on Leadership Skills, Women’s Rights and their roles as Councilors and the importance of women in decision making. The training targeted more over sixty female Councilors from all the regions. The Chairperson of the National Women Council Amie Fabureh, said during her tenure, she will develop an action plan as a guide to implement these programmes.
“We as women Councilors should solve our problems if developed into an action plan. We are training you as women Councilors from your areas, to understand the rules, regulations and mandate as a Councilor, by equipping you with the right skills and knowledge,’’ she said; that it was important to build their capacity so that they will achieved their goals; that they face many problems as women holding political positions and will try their best to engage Government.
“During my tenure in office I will try to push the agenda of Gambian Women in the forefront,” she concluded.
The Deputy Director of Women’s Bureau Kajali Sonko, said the National Women’s Council was established by an Act of Parliament in 1980, amended in 1988 and replaced by the Women’s Act in 2010; that the role and function of Council is to advise Government on matters relating to the health and wellbeing of women and girls.
He said the Women’s Bureau serves as the secretariat to the national women council, the national policy for the advancement of women and girls, and the gender and women empowerment; that these policies are aligned with the national and international blueprints.
Fatoumatta Trawally and those Women Councilors from Brikama Ba, said in rural Gambia, the challenges faced by women is access to acquire land; that men are given most of the privileges; that as women councilors, she was trained by the women’s bureau to sensitize women on how to access land and engaged regional district authorities like Alkalos and Seyfos in supporting women acquire land.
Trawally said she attended regional meetings in Tanzania were a declaration was made and the message sent across Africa, on the aquicision of land by women. She urged her fellow women Councilors to serve as ambassadors and campaign for the rights of Gambian women to acquire land.
