Vision:
Build a robust economy founded on the value of a balance between environment protection, and development for the benefits of the current and future generations of The Gambia.
Mission:
To maintain in a sustainable manner, Gambia’s environment free of or low pollutants, including Green Gas Emissions, solid and liquid waste with a view to sustaining the social and economic development of The Gambia.
Policy:
The Gambia has over the years made some level of political efforts to properly manage its environment and natural resources and response to climate change through: The Banjul Declaration of 1997, the Gambia Environment Action Plan (GEAP, 1995), and working with the United Nations System to implement the Climate Change, Desertification and Biological Diversity Conventions (1995), the Millennium Development Goals (2000) and Sustainable Development Goals (2015).
The policy is to keep Gambia’s Air, Land, and Water Resources free from Pollutants including Green House Gas Emissions, Solid and Liquid Waste, for sustainable social and economic development of The Gambia.
Even though gains have been made, the GDC will pay greater emphasis on sustainable environment and natural resources management based on political will and sound knowledge to ensure that Gambia’s Air, Land, and Water Resources are well managed without compromising the socioeconomic development of the country. We will utilise the 5Rs of environmental policies (reduce, reuse, recycle, research and redesign) to continually adapt our approaches to meet modern requirements. The GDC will review all the declarations, plans, and acts to ensure they meet standards. We will also work with expert countries to learn best practices in environmental management.
Programmes:
The sustainable environment and natural resources management and response to climate change programmes will be mainly realised through the effective coordination and implementation of the Gambia Environmental Action Plan and Regional Environmental Action Plans and will have to address the major challenges that impede the realisation of the vision, mission, policy and strategy. The main programmes which will be preceded by a thorough baseline study will consist of the following:
- Waste Management
- Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
- Sustainable Forest Resources and Management
- Oceans and Marine Resources Management
- Renewable Energy Resources
- Promote Investment in Green Jobs
- Biodiversity Conservation
- Annual Vehicle Safety Test (AVEST) using technology to make it effective (privatise or ministry of transport manages)
- Monitor and control the quality of vehicles, and other products entering the Gambia
- Clarify the power structure between the NEA and the ministry of environment
- Carbon footprint market potentials to ensure we meet our target and support other nations through tradeable permits to meet theirs