📅 January – June 2024
📍 Kanifing • Brikama • Mansakonko
The National Youth Parliament (NYP) of The Gambia, in partnership with the Gambia Association of Local Government Authorities (GALGA), is implementing a six-month initiative titled “Enhancing Transparency, Citizen Participation, and Access to Local Government.” The project, which commenced in January 2024 and will run until June 2024, aims to promote openness, citizen engagement, and access to information within local governance structures.
The overarching goal of the initiative is to foster effective collaboration between taxpayers and their respective local government councils, encouraging transparency in how councils manage public funds, develop plans, and implement projects that are intended to benefit their constituents.
The project focuses on three local councils:
Phase 1: Introductory Engagements
The first phase involved a series of introductory meetings with each of the selected councils to present the project, seek buy-in, and request collaboration throughout the implementation period.
The first engagement took place at the Kanifing Municipal Council on January 23, 2024, and was attended by Deputy Mayor Binta Janneh-Jallow, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and senior council staff. The second meeting was held at Brikama Area Council on the same day, where NYP and GALGA met with the CEO and senior management. The final introductory meeting was conducted with the Mansakonko Area Council, where the team engaged the CEO and key senior officials.
All three councils expressed strong support for the initiative and committed to working collaboratively with the implementing partners to ensure the project’s success.
Phase 2: Capacity Building and Oversight
The second phase includes training for council staff and the deployment of trained observers. These observers are assigned to each of the three councils and are tasked with monitoring council sittings, as well as tracking the implementation of development projects. The findings will be published on the project’s dedicated platform, WahJef, a website created to promote public access to verified local government information.
Abdoulie O. Bah, Clerk and Head of Administration at the National Youth Parliament, emphasized that one of the project’s core objectives is to ensure that citizens are informed about how their local councils manage funds, the plans they pursue, and how these initiatives contribute to the socio-economic development of their communities.
Phase 3: Public Engagement through Radio
The third and final phase will feature radio talk shows across the three council areas. These programs will serve as a platform for councils to communicate their plans, showcase achievements, and discuss challenges they face in fulfilling their mandate. The goal is to build awareness among citizens and encourage greater civic engagement in local governance processes.
This project represents a significant step toward strengthening democratic accountability at the local level, empowering citizens to participate actively in governance, and holding duty bearers to account.
Reported by: NYP COMMUNICATION