Group Photo Of the Participants At the Opening Ceremony Of The Two-Day Capacity Building.
By Ramatoulie Jawo
The Gambia National Assembly, in partnership with the International Republic Institute (IRI), recently held a two-day capacity-building program focused on legal matters relevant to the Assembly’s committees.
The primary goal of the workshop is to empower National Assembly Committees with advanced knowledge and skills necessary for addressing legal matters relevant to their legislative responsibilities.
Addressing the participants at the opening ceremony, Mr. Buba Jatta, Deputy Clerk at the National Assembly, emphasized the significance of the training, specifically tailored for oversight Committees dealing with Subsidiary Legislation, Human Rights and Constitutional Matters, Regional Governments, Lands, IC, Ombudsman, and the Standing Orders Committees.
Highlighting the importance of the initiative, Mr. Jatta stated, “It is a fact that one of the key objectives of the National Assembly, as outlined in the Strategic Development and Investment Plan 2023 -2029, is to increase the capability and capacity of the Assembly to legislate and hold the Government to account. This objective is fundamental to achieving the three functions of the National Assembly, which are to; legislate, oversee, and represent,” he highlighted.
Mr. Jatta urged National Assembly Members (NAMs) to actively engage in the discussions and interact with the facilitators to make the most of the training.
Jimmy Sankaituah, the IRI Gambia Coordinator, gave an overview of the two-day capacity building. He said it has been and will continue to be an integral part of their work in the Gambia to build the capacity of the Members of the National Assembly for them to be able to function more adequately in supporting the governments’ consolidation of the Gambia.
“Today we are here to ensure that we lead members of the National Assembly, through key topics covering the core functions of the National Assembly, the National Assembly oversight, rules and debates legislative functions and communications law-making and oversight this important topic we believe from time to time refreshing the minds of members of the National Assembly will continue to enhance their capacity in their ability to take their core functions more adequately, seriously and to impact on the governance of this country,” he said.
He expressed their hope that the members of the National Assembly will take the training very seriously because they believe with time they must have experts in legislative functions across Africa and Gambia should not be left behind.
Honorable Seedy SK Njie, The Deputy Speaker of the Gambia National Assembly, registered his profound gratitude on behalf of the parliament to the Country Director of IRI and his team for the continued support they render to the National Assembly.
“The National Assembly will ensure that the oversight Committees are robust and effective that their roles are taken seriously by the relevant stakeholder groups and that the recommendations are given due consideration to enhance development results,” he said
Hon.Njie said he is optimistic that the training will provide more practical insights into the work of the legislators.