By Olimatou Coker
The GCCA+ Climate Resilient, Coastal, and Marine Zone project, in partnership with its implementing partners, the National Environment Agency, the Department of Water Resources, and other government agencies, has benefited from a 2-week training on climate change scenario development for planning in The Gambia. Held at the Department of Planning, Ministry of Agriculture, the training is funded by the European Union under the GCCA+, and it seeks to improve coastal communities’ knowledge on adaptation to impacts of climate change through institution strengthening under the implementation of the United Nation Decree on Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM).
It also envisaged building capacity at DWR and other implementing partners at the national level to improve climate change scenario development and management tailored to best practices in adaptation strategy for the country. Abubacarr Kujabi, the GCCA+ project coordinator, said the training will help the stakeholders better coordinate among themselves. He said it will also set the agenda for an effective implementation of the project.
Lamin Mai Touray, the director of the department of water resources, said climate change is set to cause changes in atmospheric and oceanic circulation, which are in turn expected to exacerbate variations in weather and climate patterns across the world.
“As a developing state, The Gambia is already feeling the impact of climate change with a direct and adverse bearing on the socio-economic fabric of the county,” he said.
He added that the current GCCA+ capacity building initiative for DWR and other relevant institutions in the Gambia is providing opportunities to address human resource development issues through facilitating the capacity development of the scientific staff in the country in the production of climate change scenarios and development frameworks.
