By Olimatou Coker
City Link Ostend Banjul project funded by EU under the 2018 EuropeAid on Wednesday concluded 3 days capacity building for 20 participants, including city councilors on good governance for better service delivery.
The training was held at St Mary’s Cathedral Church in Banjul.
Speaking, Mamlie Jassey, Project Coordinator of City Link Ostend Banjul, spoke on the closing of the training as well as the launching of good governance component.
According to him, the councilors have been trained in key areas related to their jobs. Centralisation and good governance, service delivery and citizen engagement, leadership and council management, strategic planning and policy formulation as well as Covid-19 were all covered during the training.
He said the training is important and timely as it will not only help boost the motivational level of the councilors but will help them balance their job under the context of good governance and within the way forward of Covid -19.
Pproject coordinator Jassey thanked the EU ambassador and his office for funding the project for the betterment of the city.
He said the objective of the project is to strengthen the urban governance capacity of Banjul City Council by developing efficient public service delivery.
“This project is aimed at giving voice to all Banjulians as the city belongs to all of us,” he said.
Attila Lajos, EU Ambassador to The Gambia, praised the fact that good governance is central to everything that is planned under the project. “No activity and no intervention can be successful if it does not have good governance at its heart.
I am impressed with the different level of activities within this future proof Banjul, from greening the city to improving access to specialised health care and the creation of a sustainable development centre at Crab Island,” he said.
He stated that he is aware of the challenges that this Covid-19 is posing to the implementation of the project and how difficult it is to bring people together today.
“However, it is of utmost importance for the European Union to empower local authorities. The future proof Banjul project gives a unique opportunity to strengthen governance and to act as a multiplier for the envisaged development outcomes of the project in other fields of intervention.”
He said only by working in transparency and with a willingness to inform and consult citizens, in this case Banjulians, good governance can really materialise. “Therefore, I request you to always keep your people informed, to prevent them becoming misinformed. I ask you to be ambitious and proactive in your visibility activities thus ensuring the Banjulians continue buying in and supporting this project,” he added.
For her part, Rohey Malick Lowe, Mayor of Banjul, said the relevance and importance of good governance cannot be downplayed by any institution that seeks to serve its community deligently.
She said Banjul City Council needs to have good governance to preserve and strengthen stakeholder confidence.
