Introduction - UNDP The Gambia

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4.3.1 NGOs and CBOs in an African
Context
According to the 1995 statistics of the
Commission on Global Governance, there
were, in 1993, 28,900 international NGOs, a
phenomenal increase from the 176 recorded
in 1909 (Huline & Edwards: NGOs, States
and Donors: An Overview, 1997). With
regard to NGOs whose home location is in
the South, their proliferation is not in doubt;
estimates are tentative, but the UNDP
suggests that in 1993, the figure was close to
50,000 (HDR 1993), rising to hundreds of
thousands when the multiplicities and
grassroots organisations are included.
Several factors lie behind these trends in the
proliferation of NGOs. These are:
• There is the sense that NGOs are
popular, not just with the media and the
public, although that is certainly the
case in the North, but also with
Northern Governments and official aid
agencies. This popularity seems to stem
from the results of a strongly amplified
image in recent years and the belief in
their effectiveness and “comparative
advantage” over other actors.
• Related to the first point is the neoliberal
emphasis on the importance of
markets and private initiative in the
quest for economic growth - the belief
that development and aid provision are
more effective through the private
sector. In this respect, NGOs are seen as
part of the private sector.
• NGOs are seen as having an important
role in the democratisation process and,
in particular, as contributors towards a
thriving civil society.
The World Bank’s 1989 Report on sub-
Saharan Africa outlines the prospective
function of NGOs as follows: “They can
create links both upward and downward in
society and voice local concerns…this (will)
bring a broader spectrum of ideas and values
to bear on policy making. They can also exert
pressure on public officials for better
performance and accountability.”
Describing how international financial
institutions and donors can encourage a
greater involvement of organisations outside
government circles, Landell-Mills outlines
the role of NGOs in the scheme of things.
Some NGOs have particular expertise in
working with their counterparts in Africa as
well as directly with community
associations. Official donors that wish to
support grassroots organisations should do so
as “whole sellers”, using the intermediary
NGOs as the “retailers of assistance”.
There is much evidence to suggest that in
many African states the prospects are bleak
for the emergence of a community-based
organisation sufficiently empowered to bring
about significant political change for the
majority of the citizens. There are reasons to
believe that the different ways in which
Western and African societies have evolved
prevent what many see as a “Western model”
being imposed successfully in an African
context.
Whether one believes Ake, who suggests that
Africans are driven to depend on their own
communities because of the failure of the
state, or Mohiddin’s view that African
societies are basically communal, the endproduct
is the same. The intricate family and
ethnic associations as well as the deep
cultural, religious and linguistic rifts
identified by Bayart, are seen as major
obstacles to a pluralistic civil society
(Cleobury and Morgan, 2000).
4.3.2 Activities of NGOs in The
Gambia
In The Gambia, NGOs and CBOs have
emerged to fill the gap left by the government
and private sector in terms of ensuring that
the basic needs of the citizenry are met. In
their operations, NGOs have forged a strong
partnership with the Government of The
Gambia in the implementation of national
development programmes towards achieving
the targets of Vision 2020, the MDGs and
PRSP targets. Currently, there are 104 NGOs
registered in the country, which have signed
the protocols of accord.
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Building Capacity for the Attainment of the Millennium Development Goals in The Gambia National Human Development Report 2005
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