The National Environmental Agency (NEA), in collaboration with other stakeholders like the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and UNDP recently held a three-day training workshop on Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA), at Janjangbureh in the Central River Region.
The aim of the training was to sensitise members of the Agriculture and Natural Resource Working Group (ANRWG) on Strategic Environment Assessment. SEA is a tool to prove planning and decision-making. It complements planning with a soil assessment of environment and other issues, as well as structures public and government debate on these issues and mechanism, so as to take the result of the assessment and debate into account.
Speaking at the occasion, Jatto Sillah, the Minister of Forestry and Environment said the training came about as a result of a meeting NEA's Executive Director, Mr. Momodou B. Sarr attended in Dakar.
According to the Forestry and Environment Minister, the Strategic Environment Assessment puts in place environmental and socio-economic parameters in policy making. While making reference to some intervention areas, he underscored the significance of the Environmental Impact Assessment EIA. He also stated that very soon, all projects that do not undertake EIA's will be stopped, due to the strong commitment of the government of The Gambia
He further advised the ANRWG to work in close collaboration with the NEA and partner institutions and spread the knowledge gained.
For his part, the Regional Forestry Officer (RFO) of Central River Region, Mr. Cherno Gaye and Fafanding Kinteh, Regional Programme Officer for NEA in CRR, both advised the participants to concentrate on their training and share the knowledge gained with those who were not present in the programme.
