By Isatou Jawara
As part of a Mission to monitor ongoing activities implemented by the ECOWAS Commission and its partners in The Gambia, the Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission, Her Excellency Damtien L. Tchintchibidja, engaged the project team of The Gambia Pilot project of the Regional Stabilization and Development Fund. The aim of the engagement was to observe the status of implementation as well as gather key lessons that could be useful in the designing of intervention strategies for additional countries being supported under the fund: namely, Guinea Bissau, Niger and Mali.
She congratulated the project team (GAMWORKS and GIZ) for the work done so far and encouraged them to expedite the implementation of the remaining activities as the project phases out in December 2023. She highlighted the importance of using the project to build resilience through the provision of basic social services and the creation of sustainable economic opportunities for women and youth. Following the engagement with the project team, the Vice President embarked on on-site visits to a Fish Processing Site built by the project to support the economic activities of women in Brufut, as well as an 80-bed student dormitory built by the project to enhance vocational training at the Gambia Technical Training Institute (GTTI) in Mansa Konko.
She observed some innovations developed by the students and encouraged the Vocational Institute to take advantage of the support provided by the ECOWAS Commission and its partners to increase access to vocational skills development for youth in the country.
The Vice President also visited the newly established National Centre for the Coordination of Early Warning and Response Mechanism (NCCRM), the ECOWAS Regional Competition Authority (ERCA), the Headquarters of the ECOWAS Military Intervention in The Gambia (ECOMIG).
She also had a working session with Mrs.Miatta French, the ECOWAS Resident Representative in The Gambia, the West Africa Police Information System (WAPIS) project team and partners from the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and the European Union (EU).
