Gambia has taken giant steps in addressing climate change’

Momodou Mbye Jabang was speaking at the start of a day’s validation forum on the theme ‘Creating enabling environment for building climate resilience’ developed under the pilot programme on Climate Resilience.

The validation was held at Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Center.

PS Jabang maintained that there have been many strategic documents developed and implemented such as the National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA), the National Capacity Self Assessment (NCSA) as well as the Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA).

These major steps, he added, have been consolidated within the National Climate Change Policy, which provides the policy framework to support the mainstreaming and institutionalisation of adaptation and mitigation efforts.

According to him, as part of the drive towards building resilience and adapt to the impacts of climate change, The Gambia has benefited from the World Bank Climate Invest Funds  (CIF) Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR) funding.

“This support has enabled the government of The Gambia to prepare its Strategic Program for Climate Resilience (SPCR) which is a 25 year investment plan with fully developed concepts notes to support and improve the National Climate Change Policy.”

PS Jabang noted that The Gambia was praised for having submitted one of the most ambitious NDC from a developing country and was rated 1.5 C Paris Agreement comparable.

He highlighted that currently they are working under the Climate Action Enhancement Package (CAEP) to revise the NDC with a costing and implementable action plan.

PS Jabang thanked stakeholder institutions for contributing to the proposal during the stakeholders consultations.

 He equally thanked AFDB and World Bank for their financial and technical support during the preparation of the SPCR, concept notes and proposal.