By Babucarr Gaye
The Office of National Security (ONS) last week organised a 2-day capacity building workshop on The Gambia’s Security Sector Reforms (SSR). Held at Ocean Bay Hotel, the training targeted Public Relations Officers of the security agencies; such as The Gambia Police Force, Gambia Immigration Department, Drug Law Enforcement Agency, The Gambia Prison Services and The Gambia Armed Forces; as well personnel from the media and civil society organisations. The theme of the training was, ‘Fostering effective communication, coordination, collaboration and partnership for enhanced national security’.
Supported by United Nations Development Programme, the capacity building workshop aimed to effectively inform and engage diverse stakeholders in the ongoing security sector reforms.
The participation of these institutions underscored their commitment to working together with stakeholders and the general public to ensure that The Gambia has successful security sector reform.
In his opening remarks, Colonel Omar B Bojang, Deputy National Security Adviser, underscored the importance of inclusivity and diverse consultation in the ongoing Security Sector Reform process.
The Deputy Spokesperson of the Government, Mr. Sankanu highlighted the role of the media in enhancing national security. He equally emphasised the relevance of verifying information, particularly on security matters, before sharing it with the public.
As a critical tool of transition, the SSR initiative aims to overhaul the security structures in line with democratic norms as a key outcome of the broader transition process outlined in the National Development Plan (NDP):
“A reformed security sector and establishment of civilian and democratic oversight mechanism guaranteed for non-recurrence of serious human rights violations by the security forces”.
Since 2017, the Gambian security sector has seen a multitude of overlapping projects, partners and actors, all of which are working on moving SSR forward along the core values outlined above.
