By Lamin Cham
The Gambian chapter of World Conference of Mayors Gambia will this week send a high-level delegation to a WCM meeting in the US, and to submit project for funding under the Build Back Better World project.
The BBB was launched in 2021, by the Biden and Harris Government to provide an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for infrastructure development of low- and middle-income countries. The initiative seeks to address the $40 trillion worth of infrastructure needed by developing countries by 2035.
The Gambia, sponsored by the World Conference of Mayors, has devised the Gambia Mbotaay Empowerment project, which is a collection or priority development projects targeted to attract funding from the BBB.
Along with New Future Foundation, a UN accredited NGO registered in The Gambia, the World Conference of Mayors Banjul chapter will present or launch the project to Development International, the body accredited to access funding from the BBB.
Hon Sheriff Baldeh, a diplomatic financial consultant and the representative of the World Conference Mayors in Africa, said the delegation will comprise government officials, GCCI, GALGA and the Gambian chapter of the New Future Foundation. He said after the meeting the delegation will take part in trainings, site visits as well as meet Black Congressmen in Washington.
Mr Baldeh disclosed that the delegation is chosen from diverse cross-section of the population to ensure that different perspectives and insights are incorporated in the learning process.
“The World Conference of Mayors upcoming initiative also aims to foster knowledge exchange and learning between Gambian delegates and their USA partners on disaster management, preparedness, and mitigation. “We recognise the importance of preparing communities for potential disasters and seek to empower the Gambian people through this cross-sectional delegation,” he said.
Mr Baldeh added that the New Future Foundation plays a crucial role in facilitating this knowledge transfer. “With members actively involved in grassroots-level work, they possess valuable practical experience in disaster management. The transfer of lessons learned from this mission will directly benefit the Gambian people, as the foundation’s members are well-equipped to communicate and implement these insights at the local level. Overall, this initiative is a testament to the foundation’s commitment to empowering communities and building resilience. By bridging the gap between The Gambia and USA partners, the foundation seeks to enhance disaster preparedness, create sustainable mitigation strategies, and ultimately improve the well-being of the Gambian people in the face of climate change-induced challenges,” he said.
In December last year, the founder and executive officer the New Future Foundation, Queen Mother Dr Delois Blakely, visited The Gambia and met senior government officials.
In June Queen mother Dr Sandra Ross, Executive secretary of the World Conference of Mayors (WCM) visited the Gambia and met government officials in VP Momodou Jallow
