By: Momodou Justice Darboe
The Government Coordinator (GC) of the Africa Risk Capacity (ARC), Mr. Mawdo Amadou Jallow, has asserted that the Gambia government “is very committed to making sure it takes not only transformative steps towards protecting people from vulnerabilities but by doing so in the most transparent and efficient way”.
Stakeholders from government departments and agencies, NGOs, West Africa Takaful and international organizations met in Banjul on Monday and Tuesday to devise an anticipatory plan of action in the event of any premium pay-out as regards drought.
This workshop was a follow-up to a five-day workshop held in Banjul last week to review the Gambia’s drought model customization. The drought model review customization workshop was organized within the framework of the collaboration between the African Risk Capacity (ARC) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) under the African Integrated Climate Risk Management Programme (AICRM-PAIGRC). The program is custom-built to reinforce the capacity of countries to effectively manage drought.
The ARC is a specialized agency of the African Union established in November 2012 and it is a pan-African mutual risk management organization that provides innovative insurance against extreme weather events. The main goal of the program is to transform climate risk management in member states by transferring a portion of these risks to international financial markets, which are better positioned to absorb them.
In closing remarks at the end of the follow-up workshop on Tuesday, GC Jallow said the workshop was organized to develop the action steps necessary, including the monitoring and evaluation framework, the delivery mechanisms in terms of how The Gambia rolls out a response in the event of any drought premium pay-out.
“This [workshop] is so important. It goes to show how committed the government is to making sure it embeds transparency and accountability and commit itself by way of signing the document to ensuring that these three traits are actually being pursued,” he underlined.
Mr. Jallow thanked participants for the keen interest they’ve exhibited during the crafting of the drought response contingency plan.
“Your presence also symbolizes the fact that you really are reliable and dependable partners that we can rely on to advance the agenda of this program, which is no other than protecting the lives and livelihoods of the people of this country. We are grateful; from the insurance company, NGOs all the way to other public organizations or public institutions. And of course, we must thank the ministry of environment for providing the leadership that is so necessary,” GC Jallow acknowledged.
Speaking earlier, the Chief of Contingency Plan at the ARC, Papa Zoomana Diarra, stated that the workshop provided the platform for an engaging and robust dialogue, allowing participants to share insights and reaffirm their collaborative efforts to strengthen the Gambia’s operational plan.
“We have not only reviewed the document but we did it with a sense of purpose,” he highlighted.
For his part, the Director of Operations and Planning at the Gambia Red Cross Society (GRCS), Mr. Abdoulie Faye, described the workshop as important.
“It [development of anticipatory action plan] is for the Gambian people. We are working together to have a robust operational plan,” he added.
