UNDP-Rule of Law (RoL) collaboration with Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI)

April 28, 2020

Photo: UNDP.

Stories, Ideas, and Decision-Making – A problem-solving Approach from Rural Gambia

Caption: UNDP Resident Representative, Aissata De and Ajara Ceesay, Solutions Mapping (bottom from right) are joined by other AccLab colleagues Omar Jagne and Yahya Jammeh (top from right) on the day of the lab launch.

Sense making and collective intelligence events have long been active in our local communities, but a village in rural Gambia might not necessarily come to mind when thinking about them. In parallel, the concept of a lab, is also not something villagers would envision as a place where solutions are designed and tested. The first task of the UNDP Gambia Accelerator Lab was to find a middle ground in this divide to be able to effectively engage all stakeholders in the lab’s key processes of tapping into collective intelligence, solutions mapping and sense-making as tools, and creating and testing a portfolio of experiments.

The lab activities began with the introduction of the lab concept, and use of the tools mentioned to engage with stakeholders within the UN system and UNDP’s external partners. This included entrepreneurs, civil society organizations, and public sector officials. Midway through our onboarding in what is our initial learning cycle, the lab held a launch event which hosted these stakeholders, but more importantly, key actors within the entrepreneurship ecosystem that we envisioned entering into partnerships with over the short to medium term. These initial activities were used to share our frontier challenge of youth unemployment while we developed a database of local actors and interventions contributing to or standing in the way of development and understanding why and how they are doing so.

Caption: The above image captures a bantaba gathering in rural Gambia.

Walking the fine line between the intended lab methodology and what we discovered in the local context meant that our approach had to be, in loose terms, universal. So, we took a Bantaba approach that adapts a norm from rural Gambia in which villagers gather around a well-known landmark (such as the community center or a large tree) to exchange ideas and address communal issues. This kitchen table metaphor where social problems and bread and butter issues are tackled, employs forms of collective intelligence, sensemaking and problem-solving and usually ends in a consensus over what solution(s) to deploy around a given challenge.

Caption: Representative from the Office of the President trying on VR googles with Assan Jallow, CEO of Assutech – a Gambian tech company.

As we have been developing our database of the solutions mapped in our engagements, we seek to also work with these communities to share their stories, but also test their ideas in a wider setting and on a different set of issues more linked to the attainment of the SDGs in country. This began at the launch event in which we featured an innovation saloon. Among the showcases featured were two Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) linked groups in a 3D printing startup and a local tech company which uses machine learning and virtual reality technology in its work. This group of young innovators engaged participants in the virtual reality experience by providing a tour of protected tourism sites across The Gambia – a crowd favorite given the role of tourism as the second largest contributor to GDP. Another notable feature was an SDG Association of students which setup an actual Bantaba at the event to localize the SDGs and engaging attendees with the goals in key local languages.

Caption: Members of the SDG Association pose with Aissata De, UNDP Resident Representative (second from right) and Mariama Singhateh, Counsel at the TRRC Commission (also UNDP funded)

These examples helped inform the central hypothesis in our initial experimentation around whether creating a shared space for entrepreneurs using 4IR technologies to operate for an allotted period of time, would lead to disruption in service delivery in key sectors of the economy, namely tourism and agriculture. We have partnered with the first disruptive lab in The Gambia to make the test a reality and over the next few weeks will be inviting more actors in this space through hackathon style events. In setting the tone for our second learning cycle, we have also initiated a Call for Solutions to mobilize ideas and solutions tackling youth unemployment. You can access it here through a UNDP supported initiative called GamJobs. Spread the word, we’d love to hear from you!

--- Article text goes here ---

The Gambia has recorded 9 cases of COVID-19 out of which two are local transmission and one recorded death. Though the rate of transmission is apparently low, there is fear that the infected individuals had multiple contacts at home, churches, mosques and medical facilities and that there will be more cases as a result of local transmission. The Prisons Service is a key area of immediate concern and potential epicenter for the spread of the Coronavirus. The Gambia has 3 Prison facilities: Mile 2, Central Prison (Banjul), Jeshwang (Kanifing) and Janjanbureh (Central River Region).

Mile 2 is the largest and most populous facility and includes a dilapidated medical facility as well as some rehabilitation and training programs. The Remand Wing of Mile 2, as of 31 March, has 176 adult male detainees and 8 adult female detainees in detention. The Remand Wing for men is overcrowded with up to 11 inmates sharing cells designed for 6-7 prisoners. The congestion, restricted movement and derelict sanitation facilities increases the risk of the virus spreading not only amongst the prisoners but to the prison personnel and their families. Some of the prison personnel reside within Mile 2, however, a number do return to their families and communities risking the spread of the virus outside prison walls and into family homes and communities. There is clear and immediate need to address the high risks associated with the prisons.

In an effort to mitigate the spread of the virus, the UNDP Rule of Law (RoL) project is collaborating with the Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI). The Gambia Prisons Service, the UNDP RoL project and GCCI are working together to mitigate the high risks presented by overcrowding and poor hygiene and sanitation facilities in the prisons.  To address the lack of sanitation facilities, GCCI will provide and install 100 to 200ltrs capacity of 10 hand washing stations in Mile2 Prison. UNDP has handed over a 30-seater bus to the Prison Department to enable the safe transportation of health workers and Prison personnel to and from Mile 2 Prison facility. This is done in the framework of the partnership with the GCCI on improving the conditions and preparedness of the detention facilities.

The GCCI conducted a prison visit with Director General Ansumana Manneh of the Prisons Service to assess the prisons’ priority health and sanitation needs. GCCI and the UNDP are working in partnership to mobilize additional resources to effectively respond to the crisis. The GCCI has proposed to support the Prison with piped water, improved kitchen facilities, kitchen supplies and support the construction work at Jeshwang Prison. The UNDP-ROL is working with Gamworks for the rehabilitation of the Mile 2 sanitation facilities and has requested protective gear (Hazmat Suits) 30 for the medical and 70 to the frontline and Prison personnel, Protective Gear for Prisons (Masks & Gloves): for 100 personnel at the Prisons facilities. GCCI and UNDP RoL regularly meet to update on progress and prioritize ongoing needs.

The successful collaboration between UNDP and GCCI, particularly during the COVID-19 crisis, has brought new ideas and innovation to addressing the challenges faced by justice institutions. It is hoped that this partnership will serve as a model and encourage greater engagement from the private sector for the benefit of the public.