The Ministry of Environment Climate Change and Natural Resources through the Climate Change Secretariat organized a jointly sectoral forum with various ministries to develop a Long-Term Strategy for the Gambia in which various ministries will present data on the Greenhouse emissions. The sectoral workshop comprises Energy and Petroleum, Transport and Works, Tourism and Agriculture.

The Forum covered key presentations from Waste, Transport  Agriculture and Tourism, exploring which would need to go to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, with key policies and recommendations identified towards undertaking mitigation actions for sectoral GHG emission reduction.
Data used for existing models and quantification exercises were presented on the three sectors by different experts and discussed by the participants.

To put the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement into practice, countries are invited to formulate and communicate “long-term, low greenhouse gas emission development strategies” (LT-LEDS), also referred to as Long Term Strategies (LTS). These are visionary plans for achieving low-carbon, climate-resilient societies out to 2050.

During the events, Pakau Consultancy conducted a brief demonstration of the Low Emission Analysis Platform (LEAP) modelling software.
Working closely with Pakau Consultancy, American International University West Africa (AIUWA) the Legacy Partner appointed to lead capacity-building activities during the implementation of the LTS, conducted a brief demonstration on an alternative modelling software that would complement LEAP, called System Dynamic.

To effectively understand the future climatic conditions in The Gambia and the associated risks, the comparative advantages of the 2 soft wares would enable projections based on policy actions implemented and trends of socio-economic drivers to be more easily cleaned.

Momodou Mbye Jabang, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources (MECCNAR) in his closing remarks said his Ministry was pleased that the stakeholder engagement was very fruitful and that a cross-section of inter-sectoral participants who have an important stake in determining the final shape of the Long Term Strategy gave the workshop their best.

He added that the Ministry of Environment is proud that The Gambia has achieved a standard Nationally Determine Contribution (NDC) document that is identified globally, noting that they want to maintain that footing.

“It is globally determined that we are on track to achieve the Paris Agreement goal and we must make sure we put all our hands on deck so that any document that is coming after that mirrors the excellence that is already captured in that document, so that we maintain that position and enhance our ability to mobilise resources to fulfil what we map out in the long-term strategy,” PS Jabang stated.

Juldeh Ceesay, Deputy Permanent Secretary Projects of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs (MOFEA), representing the Permanent Secretary MOFEA, said the recent IPCC report confirms that Africa is the most vulnerable to climate change by all metrics, which serves as a reminder to all of us that we must act now, to protect our economy and communities from the looming climate emergency.

She urged the three sectors to ensure they create synergies and linkages between the upcoming Green Recovery-focused National Development Plan and Long-term Vision (Vision 2050) as well as the Long Term Strategy.

She started, that the alignments and synergies are an important step toward a more coordinated implementation of the Paris Agreement, and lays the groundwork for the whole-of-government approaches to addressing the country’s climate crisis.
She further said that her ministry would also support the full integration of the LTS into the country’s domestic strategies and policies, better-supporting community needs and priorities as well as resource mobilisation. 

The event was moderated by Ebrima Jawara, Deputy Permanent Secretary Finance and Administration of MECCNAR and LTS National Coordinator and facilitated by Sambou Kinteh, Climate Change officer at MECCNAR, Alhagie Sarr, Senior Programme Officer at National Environment Agency, Morro Sanyang, Statistician at the Ministry of Transport, Works and Infrastructure, Mamadi Dampha, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Tourism, and Culture and Dr Mohammed Abdullahi, Lecturer at AIUWA.

By Isatou Jawara

Information Officer

Ministry of Environment Climate Change & Natural Environment