Sheriffo Sonko, chairman Brikama Area Council (BAC) on Monday presented Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme (PSUP) activity report of The Gambia during a panel discussion at 10th World Urban Forum in Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates.
He presented that the country has a urban population of 61.3% and with urbanization rate of 4.07%.
According to him the Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme (PSUP) was launched in 2008 and has three phases.
He reported that the implementation of phase one which focused on urban profiling started in 2010 in three municipalities, Banjul, Kanifing and Brikama.
Chairman Sonko pointed out that those participatory assessment methods were used and the main themes includes urban governance, urban safety, shelter, land, gender, local economic development, basic urban services, disaster management, environment and climate change.
He also outlined the numerous success stories of PSUP and highlighted the water extension project in the community of Ebo Town in the Kanifing Municipality.
“The project has increased access to water and reduces incidences of water borne diseases. The community of Tobacco Road in Banjul has benefited from a solar street lighting project, road construction and a youth centre of excellence in Tobacco Road in Banjul while the Community of Jambarr Sanneh under the jurisdiction of Brikama Area council has benefited from the construction of a 1km drainage system and a tractor for waste collection,” he disclosed.
Despite the success stories, he also revealed inadequate policy frameworks for urban planning and development and inadequate human and financial resources as key challenges that affected the smooth implementation process of the PSUP in The Gambia.
The 10th World Urban Forum is organized by UN-Habitat and has become the foremost international gathering for exchanging views and experiences on sustainable urbanization with over 18000 participants from over 168 countries.
