The
ministry of Works, Transport and Infrastructure in collaboration with Gambia
Maritime Administration (GMA) and other state agencies on Monday validated the
Gambia Integrated Maritime Sector Strategy (GIMSS) document at National
Nutrition Agency (NaNA) conference hall.
The
draft document has five thematic areas- maritime governance, maritime safety
and security, marine environment protection, Maritime Economic, Maritime
Research and Awareness.
Its
strategic objective is to strengthen maritime governance including all legal
and policy requirements, functions, organisational structure and the associated
mechanism that enables the implementation of the strategy.
It
will also help to develop efficient and responsible maritime resource
management such as effective and adequate control mechanisms currently
employed.
Deputy
Permanent Secretary of the ministry of Works, Transport and Infrastructure,
Malang K Jammeh described the document as significant.
“GIMSS
has been in its draft form for a long time and now seeks your final input to
translate it into its final version for implementation,” he said.
He
added: “The GIMSS is a cross- cutting maritime policy document designed to
ensure a better governance of The Gambia’s maritime space through an integrated
approach.”
However,
he said this approach seeks the involvement of all stakeholders of allied
activities with the maritime sector.
The
technocrat said The Gambia is a signatory to many international maritime
conventions and regional treaties, many of which he said encouraged or required
signatory countries to maritime strategies.
“In
fact African Union’s Africa Maritime Transport Charter requires its member
states to implement the provisions of the Africa Integrated Maritime Strategy
(AIMS) 2050, and this draft GIMSS document is a reflection of our future
aspiration in line with AIMS- 2050.”
He
commended all institutions that are working collectively to validate the
strategic document while implored their work to expectation so as to produce
proper documents for the maritime sector.
Director
General for Gambia Maritime Administration, Karamo B Janneh, described the present
of stakeholders to the validation workshop as a clear manifestation of their
commitment to national development.
