By Olimatou Coker
The Gambia Maritime Administration on Monday validated the Gambia Integrated Maritime Sector Strategy (GIMSS) document at NaNa conference hall in Kanifing.
The document aims at strengthening maritime governance and administration, ensuring maritime security and safety, conservation and management of the maritime environment agency, optimise the Gambia’s maritime economy and also promote maritime awareness and research.
Malang Jammeh, deputy permanent secretary, Ministry of Transportation, said GIMSS is a cross cutting maritime policy document designed to ensure a better governance of The Gambia’s maritime space through an integrated approach.
“This approach seeks the involvement of all players whose activities or wellbeing depends on the maritime sector”.
DPS Jammeh also added that the GIMSS is intended to ensure better management of the marine environment, promote maritime safety and security while exploring new frontiers for the sustainable exploitation of our marine resources for our collective economic wellbeing.
He explained further that the draft policy document has strategic objectives that border on five thematic areas of maritime governance, maritime safety and security, marine environmental protection, maritime economy, maritime research and awareness. “These strategic objectives are highly interconnected spanning beyond the mandate of anyone institution.
“We are grateful to all stakeholders that have given their input at the drafting stage, in particular the Gambia Maritime Administration, the Gambia Navy, National Environment Agency, Gambia Ports Authority, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Justice, NDMA and GRA who are part of the committees tasked to come up the with draft document,” he said
According to him, the validation of this document cannot be more timely considering the emergence of new activities in our maritime domain such as offshore oil exploration, coupled with the increase in competition between uses and users for the maritime space. “These activities have to be carefully managed in order to optimise the opportunities the maritime industry has to offer.”
Other speakers included Karamo B Janneh, director general of Gambia Maritime Administration who tasked the stakeholders give their final touch to the important document which he said is more relevant towards the realisation of the objective.
