By: Momodou Justice Darboe
The National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Future In Our Hands-The Gambia (FIOHTG) yesterday set the ball rolling for the implementation of the ECOWAS-funded Post 2022 Flood Response project.
The launch of the $603,000 project at the NDMA Head Office in Kanifing has set the stage for its implementation to support the recovery process from the devastating 2022 flooding, which affected thousands of households across The Gambia.
“We could all recall that 2022 was a difficult year for the country due to severe flooding that hit The Gambia,” stated the Executive Director of the State disaster management agency Mr. Sanna Dahaba at the launch ceremony.
According to Mr. Dahaba, 107,788 individuals have been impacted by the severe flooding that caused a huge economic loss, damage to critical infrastructure and loss of lives.
“This is a significant number, considering the national population,” he highlighted.
The head of the national disaster management agency explained that ECOWAS will now reinforce the country’s flood recovery capabilities after mobilizing financial resources for the implementation of the ECOWAS Post 2022 Flood Recovery Response Project by the NDMA, CRS and FIOHTG.
“The project will provide multipurpose cash assistance to 2,650 households through unconditional cash transfers. In addition, the same beneficiaries will receive water, sanitation and hygiene support,” Mr. Dahaba further explained.
“At this juncture, I would take this opportunity to thank CRS for accepting to implement this project on behalf of the Government of The Gambia while recognizing their partnership with all stakeholders to achieve national resilience,” he added.
He expressed his “sincere” appreciation to the sub-regional bloc for providing financial support for the project’s implementation which, he acknowledged, will go a long way in enhancing the recovery of the beneficiary households.
“In conclusion, I wish to underscore our joint efforts in disaster risk reduction in safeguarding the dignity and well-being of affected households,” he concluded.
For his part, the Country Manager of CRS, Mr. Amulai Touray, said: “I am incredibly pleased to be here today with senior leaders from ECOWAS, the Government and development partners to mark this significant milestone of the launching of ECOWAS Post 2022 Flood Recovery Response Project.”
According to Mr. Touray, recent extreme weather events serve as reminders of the fundamental threat that climate change poses to the lives and livelihoods of everyone.
“As we experience severe climate variation, more frequent and intensifying climate events are observed, including storms, extreme heat, floods, drought, wildfires and many more extreme events. To curb these effects, structural and non-structural measures for flood risk reduction should be an integral part of climate change mitigation and disaster risk management,” added the CRS country boss.
He explained that the implementing partners of the Post 2022 Flood Recovery Response project will reach 2650 households in all the administrative regions of The Gambia.
“The project is designed to provide essential social safety nets to flood victims targeting the most vulnerable groups, especially female-headed households, pregnant and breastfeeding women, persons with disabilities, people whose houses were completely destroyed etc to assist in their recovery,” said Mr. Touray.
He disclosed that the project participants will receive a total cash transfer value of D9000 within the project’s timeline of six months.
The CRS country head pointed out that the project will also raise awareness of the early warning signs/systems as well as adopt a comprehensive approach to community ownership by working with disaster management committees to pilot the implementation of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) action plans developed by NDMA and partners.
“This approach is also aligned with CRS Global Strategy Goal 2, which aims to ensure that “All people survive and thrive in the face of disasters”.
Mr. Touray thanked NDMA, the Office of the Vice President and ECOWAS for trusting CRS and FIOHTG as project implementation partners.
“We assure ECOWAS, The Government of The Gambia and the communities of our unwavering commitment to stewardship, transparency and accountability in the utilization of the funds and the delivery of the project goals and objectives,” he concluded.
Speaking earlier, the Political Adviser to the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Claude Kondor, hinted that there’s no denying that The Gambia and other ECOWAS member States, including Ghana, Sierra Leone, Togo, Liberia et cetera are flood-prone countries, adding that the countries’ susceptibility to flood has manifested itself on an annual basis due to the devastating effects of climate change.
“This has resulted in increasing the interest of ECOWAS and itsMember States in disaster risk reduction to facilitate sustainable integration and development of Member States,” he stated.
“Consistent with the Fundamental Humanitarian Principles, ECOWAS has long been committed to alleviating the sufferings of its vulnerable citizens, particularly flood victims,” he added.
The Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Office of the Vice President, Mr. Ousman Ceesay, thanked ECOWAS for reinforcing the Gambia government’s disaster response capabilities.
