GALGA, NYP engage councilors on local governance

The engagement is under the project dubbed ‘Enhancing Transparency, Citizen Participation, and Access to Local Governments.’

The project seeks to contribute to strengthening democratic governance through an inclusive, accountable, and participatory local government system in Gambia, while ultimately strengthening democratic governance by enhancing transparency and citizens' participation particularly young people.

At the event, Mr Amadou Jallow, Sr. Programs officer at GALGA said the project also seeks to promote the principles of accountability, and equality, ensuring that local governments are more representative and responsive to the needs and aspirations of their constituents.

With that, he said, citizens most especially youth and women would become more empowered and engaged and they hope to achieve this through various town hall meetings, council sitting observations, radio talk shows and a website monitoring councils' engagement.

“We will provide opportunities for them to be informed, voice their opinions, contribute ideas, engage in decision-making processes, and hold their representatives accountable.”

On her part, Hon Ndegen Jobe, Deputy Speaker of the National Youth Parliament (NYP), reminded that The National Youth Parliament is a policy advocacy organisation.

“And a lot of times we do our activities with central government at national level. And we deem it necessary that we come down to the councils and start working with councils on how to get the information that is in council to the ordinary citizens that the councils are serving,” he added.

To that end, Jobe thanked GALGA for their partnership, which she observed has been on for three years now, recalling that they signed partnership with MOU and down the line today ‘we are here also having this project in partnership with them.”

Presiding over the ceremony, Deputy Mayor of KM, Hon. Binta Janneh Jallow, underscored that “accountability is how to give message or give back to people as we the representative directly work closer to the people in the grassroots.”

These engagements, she believes, would help them further remind themselves of their important roles in their respective region, saying participation and inclusivity is very important and that it is very essential to involve everyone on board.

“We are closer to the people in which we respond to the needs of the people and bring back service delivery to the people. Therefore, this engagement is timely and very important.”