Among the key issues that were mentioned during the election campaign leading to the general elections in the year 2016 was institutional reform which was to be introduced by whichever government came into power.
There was supposed to be security sector reform, civil service reform, institutional reform and many other forms of reform.
It is true that since the current government came into office many reform processes have started and are still going on.
Arguably though, the most important of all the reforms is the Security Sector Reform (SSR) as it is no secret that without security no form of development can take place.
For there to be any development therefore, there is a need to have security.
The government of The Gambia has since introduced mechanisms to reform the security sector. This includes reforming the Gambia Armed Forces (GAF), the Gambia Police Force (GPF) and all other security agencies.
In the Army, it has been revealed that one of the measures to be taken is to downsize it and give it the necessary training to become a highly professional body that will provide security for the territorial integrity of the nation in a manner that conforms to democratic norms.
The Gambia Police Force (GPF) is receiving training from some development partners on so many areas to ensure that there is peace and security in the country.
This will enable the police to exercise their duties in a democratic manner.
This will promote the rule of law.
It is also important to understand that the security that is being discussed and considered by the Security Sector Reform (SSR) is not only security from violence and also from structural violence.
This means that there should also be ways and systems put in place to ensure food security, the availability of jobs and the security of the person.
All these will go a long way to have an effective Security Sector Reform.
