Civil Society Organization (CSO) has stressed that the appointment of executive coordinators for Banjul andKanifing Municipal Council (KMC) by the President contradicts the Government’s National Development Plan 2018 to 2021 (NDP 2018 – 2021) and will take away scarce resources which Local Governments need for development.
A statement made available by Gambia’s CSO on Monday urged President Adama Barrow to rescind his decision to appoint Executive Coordinators which the newly appointed Executive Coordinator for Banjul has stated “is very similar to Governor’s role, is only that the titles are different”.
According to the statement in November 2023, the Gambian leader decided to appoint Executive Coordinators for Banjul and Kanifing Municipal Council. This move has gathered significant public debate with the President’s Office issuing a clarification on the Executive’s powers to affect such an appointment.
The statement pointed out that the legal debate is not one which Civil Society Organisations are currently prepared to engage in.
However, “our legal advisors are currently looking into the legality of such appointments by the President,” the statement said.
“The President’s intention first came to the public’s attention during a political rally back on 11th December 2022 at Buffer Zone when he outlined his intention to appoint Governors in Banjul and Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC). Less than a year later the President has acted on his intention which does not bode well for decentralization and the delivery of local services.
In this regard, the undersigned Civil Society Organisationswish to remind the President of the principle of decentralization as stipulated in the NDP 2018 – 2021. Given that the 2023 NDP has not been launched yet our observations have been limited to the now outdated NDP 2018 – 2021,” the statement said. Read the CSO full statement on page 11