The National Environment Agency (NEA) recently organised a two-day sensitisation training workshop for National Assembly members, Regional Governors and Chief Executive Officers of Area Councils and other relevant stakeholders on Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA) at Tendaba Camp in Lower River Region (LRR).

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the deputy governor of Lower River Region (LRR) , Majanko Samusa said that environmental issues are pivotal to any socio-economic development of any state and therefore called on all Gambians to take ownership of the environment. He disclosed that the Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA) is a powerful planning tool that promotes sustainability by taking into consideration potential overlaps between and within sectors, potential cumulative impacts which escape standard environmental impact assessments, and harmonisation with national and regional development plans. Samusa further revealed that the strategy covers ecotourism, waste management, integrated crop/pest management and Agriculture & Natural resources of which he said are the nerves of the country.

Speaking earlier on behalf of NEA’s Executive Director, the director of Administration and Finance at the said institution, Bulli Mustapha Dibba revealed that the training would provide participants with a solid understanding of the tool and how and when to use them. He noted that the NEA in partnership with Government and other stakeholder institutions like the UNDP is committed to empowering National Assembly select committees on Environment and other relevant stakeholders through capacity building.

In this way he said, our stakeholders and their relevant institutions at all levels will acquire the necessary requisite skills and information needed, to take a collaborative approach in reversing the damage that continues to be meted on our environment. He further disclosed that SEA is a range of analytical and participatory approaches that aim to integrate environmental considerations into Policies, Plans and Programmes. As an effective way of addressing our overall environmental concerns, he said the principle of SEA is to integrate environmental, economical and social concerns into strategic decision making to help formulate policies, plans and programmes and to assess their effectiveness and ensure sustainability.

“Some of the benefits of SEA are to prevents environmental obstacles for economic development, augments possibilities to prevent natural disasters and improves the image of governance, diminishes resistance of local population during Policy, Projects and Plans execution and saves time and energy during their execution” he pointed out.

Hon. Ousman Bah, National Assembly Member for Sabach Sanjal Constituency, who led the NAMs Select Committee on the Environment, thanked the NEA for always involving them at all stages in any of their environmental related programmes, and assured them of their continuous support. He therefore called on his fellow participants to disseminate to other colleagues of theirs who do not have the opportunity to attend in what he described as a very important knowledge sharing training.