By Ndey Sowe
The Government of The Gambia and the European Commission have signed three financing agreements in support of the country’s democratic transition, security sector reform and technical assistance.
The Ministry said this was signed on Wednesday 4th January 2021, in a press release seen by this medium on Wednesday 11th January 2023.
According to a dispatch from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, the first grant support is a total of EUR 9 Million which will be implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with three main objectives: a) to have the Constitution and Legislation better provide for checks and balances and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms including rights of minorities and groups living in vulnerable situations;
b) to enhance the effectiveness of transitional justice, rule of law and human rights mechanisms, and
c) to strengthen the effectiveness of local governance structures.
The Ministry’s dispatch added that the second grant support is a total of EUR 6 million devoted to deepening the EU’s support to the security sector reform, especially with a view to ensuring security at the individual and community level, and the Ministry’s information said it will be implemented by the German Development Agency (GIZ) on the one hand and by the Geneva Center for Security Sector Governance (DCAF).
The main objectives of this action are:
i) to provide improved security that complies with norms and good practices, including human rights and gender equality by the Gambia Police Force; and
ii) to enhance the capacity and effectiveness of selected Gambian police stations outside the Greater Banjul area and their police staff.
The Ministry said the overall aim is to strengthen internal and external accountability of security sector actors, which will eventually contribute to enhancing migration management such as border management and countering migrant smuggling and trafficking of human beings.
“The third action is a technical and financial facility for an amount of EUR 3 million that will support the fielding of studies, evaluations et al., in order to facilitate the implementation of the EU-Gambia Multi-annual Indicative Program 2021-2027. It also marks the turning of the well known “NAOSU” (National Authorizing Officer Support Unit) into an EU-Gambia Partnership Office,” the Ministry’s dispatch stated.
