BANJUL, 21 June 2022 – The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment (MoTIE), The Gambia, organized the first Steering Committee meeting of the Country Programme (CP) 2021-2025.

As the Programme’s highest governing body, which is tasked with effectively translating the Government’s leadership and policy decisions into actions on the ground, the first Steering Committee (SC) meeting gathered 60 participants, representing a wide range of stakeholders, including different Ministries, government entities and UN partners.

“We thank UNIDO for its support to The Gambia’s industrialization agenda, and especially for strengthening the skills of our youth”, said Hon. Seedy Keita, Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, who currently also oversees the MoTIE. “We believe that the CP can greatly contribute to our national development goals, including the enhancement of value chains; the increased production of agricultural commodities; better access to electricity; and the creation of employment opportunities through investment and entrepreneurship promotion. I strongly encourage you to utilize the platform offered by the Steering Committee to promote and engage in closer cooperation”.

“Through the leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator and the Government of The Gambia, the UN Country Team has developed numerous initiatives within the 2017-2022 United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), including the current 2021-2025 UNIDO Country Programme”, said Narissa Seegulam, Partnership and Development Finance Officer, UN Resident Coordinator Office, The Gambia. “As stakeholders, we all have important roles to play in ensuring the CP’s successful implementation for employment creation, poverty reduction and wealth creation”.

“I welcome the Government’s strong ownership of the Country Programme as well as the very fruitful cooperation with the United Nations Country Team, including UNIDO”, said Christophe Yvetot, UNIDO Representative for The Gambia. “UNIDO very much appreciates the leadership of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs within the Steering Committee as we look forward to its guidance to mobilize and leverage relevant resources”.

During the technical discussions, which also welcomed members of UNIDO technical cooperation projects including the WACOMP Gambia team, the Steering Committee elaborated on its decision-making processes and relevant future initiatives, thereby highlighting activities focusing on gender equality and women empowerment.

The Steering Committee was followed by the launch of the UNIDO project “Strengthening Adaptative Capacities to Climate Change through Capacity Building for small scale Enterprises and Communities Dependent on Coastal Fisheries in The Gambia”, which is funded by the LDC Fund (GEF) and implemented in coordination with the Ministry of Fisheries and Water Resources of The Gambia.

With the main objective of enhancing The Gambia’s productive and trade capacities, the Country Programme builds on national industrial development priorities enshrined in the current national development plan and the relevant policy framework. The Programme is also aligned with the United Nations Development Assistance Framework 2017-2022 for The Gambia, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the associated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

For more information, please contact:

Christophe Yvetot

UNIDO Representative

c.yvetot@unido.org

Omar Badjie

CP National Coordinator

o.badjie@unido.org

To visit The Gambia – UNIDO Country Programme 2021-2025 website, please click here (website)