The Gambia

The Gambia Round Table Conference - London 5th - 6th February 2008

The Gambia recently produced its second Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP (II), covering the period 2007 to 2011. The PRSP espouses the Gambia’s development priorities and strategies for the medium term, and is firmly anchored within the goals, targets and indicators of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The PRSP has five Pillars, namely:

1. Creating an enabling policy environment to promote growth and poverty reduction
2. Enhancing the capacity and output of productive sectors, with emphasis on the poor and vulnerable
3. Improving coverage of basic social services and social protection of the poor and vulnerable
4. Enhancing governance systems and building the capacities of local communities and CSOs
5. Mainstreaming cross-cutting issues into poverty reduction

In order to strengthen engagement and dialogue with The Gambia’s development partners on the basis of the second generation MDG-based PRSP, The Gambia Government, with the support of UNDP, has successfully organised a Round Table Conference (RTC), held on the 5th– 6th February 2008 at EXCEL Conference Centre London, United Kingdom. The Conference provided a unique opportunity to discuss The Gambia’s development objectives and aspirations, strategies and programmes, constraints and challenges, with a view to renewing and reaffirming the support and cooperation of its development partners, culminating in mutual agreement on the way forward post-London. The theme for the RTC was “Taking a Decisive Step Towards the MDGs in The Gambia”.

The approach adopted by the Government is based on the 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, with its grounding principles of country ownership and leadership, clearly articulated development objectives, alignment and harmonization, as well as mutual accountability.

Two main documents were presented at the Round Table, namely:

1. The PRSP Synthesis, together with the attendant results and resources matrices
2. The Gambia’s Aid Effectiveness Action Plan

Alongside these, strategy documents have been prepared for priority areas or sectors considered to have a catalytic effect on the attainment of the Pillars / Objectives of the PRSP.