By Awa Macalo
The Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology with the United Nations Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries, on Monday held a policy dialogue on geospatial technologies with stakeholders.
The discussion targeted policy-makers to effectively and efficiently monitor sustainable development goals, raise awareness on the role that policy as well as decision makers play to support the Gambia’s development efforts.
The permanent secretary, MoHERST, Mod A.K Secka, commented that the knowledge gained from the one-day training will go a long way in creating sectoral policies and programmes related to geospatial technologies and resilience to climate change problems in The Gambia.
Moshe Kao, programme management consultant, United Nations Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries, highlighted that the effective response to disasters such as floods and mudslides can limit loss of life and ease structural damages in the aftermath of the event. He said geospatial and previous disaster data could be used to predict “how many people will be displaced from their homes and where they will likely move.”
He also explained that geospatial technology could help emergency personnel identify how much aid will be needed and where to send it.
