Members of the National Assembly, on Saturday, concluded a one-day sensitisation on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) organised by by the Pro-Poor Advocacy Group at the Paradise Suits Hotel In Kololi.

Addressing participants at the start of the workshop, Honourable Fatoumatta Jahumpa-Ceesay, speaker of the National Assembly hailed the Pro-PAG Secretariat for their immense contribution towards building the capacity of the National Assembly members to better understand development, frameworks, the national budget, advocacy issues as well as all the relevant instruments that will enable them to perform their duties as people's representatives.

"Over the years, Pro-PAG has equipped NAMs with requisite skills to carry out the oversight legislative function they are mandated to perform. Therefore, this workshop could not have come at a more opportune time than now, when the 2008 national budget has come to the National Assembly for scrutiny and approval," she said.

According to her, budgets are very important development tools as they give strategic direction to policy makers to translate financial resources into human purposes.

"Budgets are also good for territorial regulation, distributive justice, economic growth and poverty reduction," she said.

According to Speaker Jahumpa-Ceesay, the government under the Jammeh administration has put poverty reduction high on its development agenda. She added that government is working towards increasing the levels of income and employment opportunities in the rural areas that are hit by poverty. She reminded NAMs that Pro-Pag has been tasked by the UNDP to develop a MDG/PRSP Advocacy Strategy for the Gambia.

The document, she added, has been produced and carries strong eye-catching advocacy messages designed to be disseminated from the National Assembly to the community levels using different approaches such as the print and electronic media among others.

The National Assembly boss then commended UNDP and Pro-PAG for their partnership with the National Assembly. She said the Pro-PAG seminar will greatly help in their deliberations in the 2008 budget as the MDG/PRSP Advocacy Strategy will enlighten them to pave the way for high level debate at the Assembly.

Fallou Njie, director of the Strategy for Poverty Alleviation Coordinating Office and Dr Sigga Fatim Jagne, director of Pro-PAG  commended the NAMs for their commitment. Both urged the NAMs to take their rightful roles in the implementation process.

Sheikh Lewis of Pro-PAG, chaired the ceremony.