The Gambia government through the ministry of Fisheries and Water
Resources in collaboration with its partners yesterday launched the National
Water and Sanitation Working Group (NWSWG) at the Kairaba Beach Hotel.
Mass Axi Gai, minister of Fisheries and Water Resources, in his launching statement, said water and sanitation are basic human requirements for healthy existence.
He noted that this was why the Gambia government continues to render all possible support to the provision of these basic services.
“The WSWG is designed to improve coordination of the activities of the various actors in the provision of both water for consumption or other users and sanitation activities,” he said.
According to him, the principal objective of the working group is to align efforts and resources to the right specifications and standards through information sharing.
In this way, he said, the government and her development partners will be able to avoid the duplication of efforts and resources.
“This forum, the WSWG, is expected to hold a meeting twice a year, during which the entire relevant stakeholders active in service delivery in water and sanitation will present their achievements and work plans,” he remarked.
He explained that the water and sanitation working group will also serve as the platform to ensure effective coordination and collaboration in the delivery of water and sanitation services.
He revealed that the necessary gains that the government will acquire from the coordination and collaboration of actors in water and sanitation are many, but one such benefit is to increase access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation for all Gambians.
Minister Gai added that their choices for quality construction and equipment, as well as efficiency in resource allocation are responsible for their current state and success, and this achievement they want to maintain and strengthen through the group.
He added: “This new approach, integrated water resources management (IWRM), is expected to be addressed through data collection, monitoring and advocacy. The end product of this process is to provide government with the relevant information for effective planning of water and sanitation issues”.
He finally said the WSWG will provide the necessary baseline information on extraction and serve as a monitoring mechanism to the IWRM.
Amadou Saine permanent secretary Ministry of Fisheries and Water Resources was the chairperson of the occasion, and he said the day was very important to his ministry.
