Dr Ajaratou Isatou Njie-Saidy, Vice President and secretary of state for Women’s Affairs, has said that the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP II), represents The Gambia’s five year national development policy and programme framework, integrating the medium - term plan (MTP), aimed at making operational Vision 2020 and also fully aligned with the MDGs.

According to her, the PRSP II is the first phase of a nine-year MDG - based integrated national development planning framework, aimed at ensuring that the country is on the path to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.

Vice President Njie -Saidy made these remarks, last Friday at the first donor coordinating meeting, at the Sheraton Hotel in Brufut.

She recalled that in early February this year, the government of The Gambia convened a Round Table Conference on The Gambia’s Poverty Reduction Strategy (2007 - 2011) in London, United Kingdom, to discuss financing prospects and resource gaps for the PRSP.

She noted that, the Round Table Conference was also aimed at reaching agreements between government and its development partners on ways to strengthen the instruments of partnership, dialogue and development aid coordination based upon the Aid effectiveness action plan drawn up by government.

According to her, the London Round Table Conference was the culmination of a comprehensive preparatory process that included a PRSP formulation phase involving detailed policy and operational analysis, exhaustive review and assessment of the experiences gained in implementing PRSP 1, and comprehensive multi stakeholder consultations at national and local levels to ensure that PRSP II reflects the priorities and integrates realities on the ground regarding the nature and dimensions of poverty in The Gambia.

 In order to ensure overall coordination for development effectiveness on the basis of the Paris declaration principles, she added, government has established an institutional framework to deal with the coordination of development programs and strategies to put in place a mechanism for an in country development Aid dialogue. “The main elements of this aid coordination architecture consists of a cabinet-led process to provide policy direction at the political level, the establishment of the national planning commission as focal point for development programme coordination unit at the department of state for finance and economic affairs, and the initiation of a development dialogue coordination in the country to be conducted periodically under the chairmanship of the secretary of state for finance and economic affairs assisted by his cabinet colleagues”, VP Njie-Saidy told the gathering.

As part of PRSP II, she revealed, the government of The Gambia has developed an Aid effectiveness Action Plan based on the Paris Declaration, with its underlying principles of national ownership, donor alignment and harmonisation, management for results and mutual accountability. “

Though The Gambia is not part of the pilot countries for implementing the Paris Declaration survey, the country has been actively participating in regional initiatives on aid coordination including the launching of the OECDDAC monitoring survey held in Kigali, Rwanda in January this year. The country will also be represented in the follow up meeting, a regional preparatory consultations for Africa for the Accra High Level Forum (Accra, 2-4th September, 2008) to be held also in Kigali, Rwanda from 28th - 30th April, 2008”, she revealed.

Vice president Njie-Saidy then expressed ardent hope that first donor coordinating meeting will begin the process of thoroughly examining the challenges being faced with respect to coordination, harmonisation and alignment of aid and she further expressed hope that the consultative process will continue well after this meeting.

For his part, Alieu Ngum, chairperson of the National Planning Commission said the government and development partner’s coordination and consultation mechanism meeting is anchored on the commitments made at the 2005 High Level meeting held in Paris between donors and recipients of development and management of aid and will reinforce government’s ownership of the process in The Gambia.

He observed that the role of civil society organisations acting in various capacities as development actors, donors and partners have increased, adding that the contributions of Global Funds, including private foundations have opened new opportunities for development assistance.

Mr Ngum noted that, the South-South Cooperation arrangements between developing countries have also expanded, thereby creating a new horizon for triangular cooperation arrangements with developed countries and multilateral institutions.

Other speakers included, Musa Balla Gaye, Secretary of State for Finance and Economic Affairs and Vitalie Muntean, UNDP Resident Representative in The Gambia.