By Aminata S. Kuyateh
The Geneva Center for Security Sector Governance(DCAF) Monday held a day-long consultation workshop for the development of the Service Level Agreement(SLA) for interagency cooperation and coordination to implement Integrated Border Management (IBM) in The Gambia.
DCAF is supporting GID with the project “strengthening the efficiency and accountability of the Gambia Immigration Department (GID)”. The day-long consultation workshop was held at the Ocean Bay Hotel in Bakau.
DCAF is promoting good governance of the security sector and strengthening global support for better security sector reform. Also to enhance interagency communication and information exchange by establishing a framework comprising comprehensive systems for data collection, analysis and sharing risk analysis, intelligence collection, recording, analysis and dissemination.
DCAF supports projects and provides advice and expertise to national and international partners in 70 countries.
Speaking at the event, DCAF Banjul office border management advisor, Mark Lynch said DCAF is dedicated to improving the security of states and their people within framework of democratic governance, the rule of law and respect for human rights. He said DCAF contributes to making peace and develops more substainable by assisting partners states and international actors supporting these states, to improve the governance of their security sector through inclusive and reforms.
Mr. Lynch disclosed that DCAF has been engaged in supporting security sector reform process in the Gambia since 2017. In January 2021, DCAF launched a large -scale programme which aims to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and accountability of security institutions, with a particular focus initially on the Gambia Police Force(GPF).
“In 2021 DCAF has implemented a second programme component, aimed at providing complementary support to the reform of the Gambia Immigration Department”, Mr. disclosed.
Mr. Lynch said the training will create innovative knowledge products, promotes norms and good practices, provides legal and policy advice and support capacity-building of both states and non-state security sector stakeholders.
He added that this service level agreement will be the foundation stone for what comes next, as we move towards rolling out training at BCPs, implement SOPs for inter agency working and test the operationalisation of the validated IBM concept in simulation exercise.
Mr. Lynch urged the participants to work together as team to develop a fir for purpose SLA for IBM in the Gambia Intergrated border management system while also working in the spirit of cooperation and collaboration which is vital to the success of IBM in the Gambia.
