NEA holds workshop

The National Environment Agency (NEA) and the UNDP under its energy and environment project recently organised a three-day workshop on strategic environment assessment.

Held at the Paradise Suites Hotel in Kololi, the workshop brought together stakeholders from various institutions in the Lower River and West Coast Regions.

The training aimed at building the capacity of participants from stakeholders’ institutions for effective implementation of strategies in the sustainable management of the country’s natural resources.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Madam Ndey Sireng Bakurin of the NEA says her agency is currently focusing on the promotion of overall sustainable development. This, she added, the NEA would be doing through effective coordination and implementation in ensuring the sustainable management of the country’s natural resources.

“The NEA in partnership with other stakeholders is committed to empowering the ANR committees at national, regional and grassroots level through capacity building,” Madam Bakurin says.

Strategic environmental assessment is becoming an important tool in mainstreaming environmental consideration in decision-making of development policies, plans and programmes globally, she says, adding that it is a recognised effective tool for sustainable development.

She said further: “Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA) is a tool that complements environment impact assessment by which environmental considerations are required to be fully integrated into the preparation and adoption of plans and programmes.”

Participants were equipped with more knowledge, experience and practices in strategic environmental assessment within different sectors.

Madam Bakurin also commended the UNDP for its support in facilitating the training, and told the participants to share the knowledge gained from it with others.