Vision:
GDC envisage to have strong and prosperous communities within a devolved and decentralised local governance system that delivers innovative services for a good quality of life for all citizens in an environment where accountability, transparency, participation, inclusiveness, and equity underpin public actions.
Mission:
A GDC government will ensure that good governance principles are promoted both at central and local government levels by strengthening the autonomy of Local Government Authorities and empowering them with the authority and the resources to deliver quality social services whilst building robust accountability mechanisms through bottom-up participatory planning and budgeting approaches. GDC is poised to promote sustainable communities that play an active role in promoting or improving the economic, social and environmental well-being of their areas through a mechanism of the sustainable community strategy which includes “ an obligation to involve” the local people in the decision-making processes that affect their lives. GDC will empower local councils to make them strong development actors with complement from the central government.
Policy:
- GDC espouses the principles enshrined in the Constitution of The Gambia, and will work with other development partners to improve the Local Government Act (2002) to pave the way for the emergence of a truly decentralised Gambia where relevant services are brought closer to the people for whom they are intended. GDC believes that Local governments must enjoy substantial autonomy to perform an array of functions, including planning, formulating and executing its own policies, programmes and its own rules and regulations as deemed necessary for its local development, especially as it relates to the power to control its own finances, recruit and manage its staff and local residents.
- A robust Local government financing emanating from Central government coupled with an efficient revenue collecting system without increasing taxes unreasonably will be the policy solution promoted by a GDC government.
- GDC will ensure that the democratically elected heads of councils have a full control of the Local Government Authorities as guaranteed by the Constitution in relation to its structure, human resources component, finances, and functions.
- Local government councils under a GDC administration will endeavour to partner with all stakeholders in a wide spectrum of development issues, including participation in matters related to education, agriculture, health and social services, children’s services, regeneration and infrastructure, community and culture, regional law enforcement officers, regional and neighbourhood governance, cleansing services, environmental protectors, public transport, roads planning and maintenance, contracting agents, recreations, examining party policies and attitudes towards local government.
- GDC will support the registration of voters by the IEC and the acquisition of national documents from the Ministry of Interior in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, and local authorities.
Programmes:
The GDC programme under this strategic objective will include the following thematic areas:
- Fostering local government autonomy and discouraging practices that will favour inordinate usurpation of the powers of local governments by the state.
- Devolved and decentralise operations and avoiding an election of undemocratic leaders or party faithful to govern the local councils and delay development.
- Reforming local government administration to enhance service delivery to the people.
- Effective and efficient revenue collection and expenditure systems to promote national development.
- Land Reform and regional economic development based on sustainable development goals and principles.
- Support for cultural integration in communities which extend to Christians, Muslims, and animists in the Gambia through a department of arts and culture.
- Central Mosques and Churches to be part of the local governance structure supported by the central councils for religions in the Gambia.