The Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, and Natural Resources (MECCNAR) through the Climate Change Secretariat, in collaboration with The AGRHYMET Regional Centre in Niamey, Niger,with support from Amendment 7 (USAID),Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS), recently concluded a four-day capacity building workshop on climate change adaptation planning into sectoral and national policies.
The aim of the workshop was to strengthen Gambia’s capacity on the National Determined Contributions (NDC) and National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes to integrate climate change into sectoral and national policies and to establish a synergy between theNDC and the National Adaption Programme of Action (NAPA)
Speaking on behalf of the Hon. Minister, the Adviser to the Minister, Mr. Momodou Wurri Jallow stated that The Gambia, like other African and Sahel Countries, is experiencing serious impacts of climate change such as deforestation, loss of biodiversity and ecosystem
He warned that if these trends are not abated, these countries would experience a rise in temperature by +2.5 degrees by 2065 which would reduce precipitation that would collectively lead to an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme climatic hazards already known in the region
Highlighting the importance of the training, the Principal Climate Change Officer at MECCNAR, Mr. Modou Cham stated that it could not have come at a better time; that it will go a long way towards complementing the national adaptation programmes and realisation of the NDC.
The Coordinator of the CILSS Regional Support Programme on Natural Resource Management (NRM) and Climate Change, Dr. Maguette Kaire said the ability of most West African countries to institutionalise adaptation to climate change remains a challenge despite the existence of political and institutional frameworks addressing issues of environment, sustainable development and climate change.
He said there is an urgency to see how the process of implementation of the NAP and NCD to be integrated into political, strategic and budget planning processes
The training brought together key stakeholders from across government institutions and departments
