Introduction - UNDP The Gambia

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trained professionals, and weak support
structures for the development of a
manufacturing and processing sector.
To address some of the constraints faced by
the private sector, the following measures
should be adopted:
• Areas of private sector interventions, not
only in terms of core business activities
and social investment but also on policy
initiatives and dialogue should be clearly
defined. The dialogue should include the
possibility of strategising the social
investment of private sector companies to
avoid randomness and to encourage
concentration in priority areas identified
by Government as critical for MDG
attainment, as highlighted in the localised
MDG Report. To promote the dialogue,
the formation of task forces should be
encouraged for the identification of
intervention areas, and for the definition
of measurable objectives.
• The capacity building needs of the private
sector should be made core objectives in
government and donor-funded capacity
building programmes. The sector should
be made much more aware of the roles
and objectives of the MDGs and the
PRSP in Government’s development
agenda. GICAP should play a more proactive
role in implementing economic
consultation summits and policy interface
seminars.
• The analysis in the Report reveals that
SMEs and MFIs have the potential to
reach vulnerable groups and can thus play
a major role in the pursuit of poverty
alleviation programmes. To enhance their
impact on the MDGs, concrete steps
should be taken to remove the bottlenecks
which presently restrict their growth and
development namely: limited financial
resources, limited managerial and
technical capacity, limited access to credit
facilities and poor linkages with the
formal sector.
6.3 Civil Society
The Report links the emergence of NGOs and
CBOs in The Gambia to the existence of a
gap left by the government and the private
sector in terms of ensuring that the basic
needs of the people are met. In filling this
gap, NGOs have forged a strong partnership
with the Government of The Gambia in the
implementation of programmes towards
achieving the targets of Vision 2020, the
MDGs and PRSP goals.
Considering that NGOs and CBOs are closer
to the people and are organisations where
more people have access to resources and
power over choice, then developing their
capacities to intervene more effectively in
carrying out their activities will no doubt
have more effect on the life of the average
person. In addition, with the increased rolling
back of the state in economic activities,
NGOs/ CBOs and the private sector should be
in a position to fill this gap. Besides, some of
the PRSP objectives can only be achieved if
the capacities of civil society organisations
are built upon to expand their intervention.
Capacity building efforts in the civil society
sector have been severely restricted by the
combined effects of the following:
• lack of effective coordination at grassroot
level
• inadequate funding
• poorly qualified staff
• skewed investment in administrative
infrastructure, at the expense of
programme activities that are
advantageous to beneficiaries.
To address these deficiencies, the following
measures should be implemented:
• The capacity of NGOAA should be
strengthened to enable the institution to
effectively monitor the progress and
activities of NGOs, to monitor their
adherence to the established Code of
Conduct, to evaluate the impact of NGO
interventions on the lives of project
beneficiaries and to develop the
institutional capacities of less endowed
national and local NGOs.
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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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