A three-day conference on sectoral consultation on Aid Coordination as part of preparations for donor consultative meetings, organised by the Department of State for Finance and Economic Affairs and jointly funded by UNDP and the National Planning Commission, Wednesday, ended at the Seaview Garden Hotel in Kololi.

Speaking during the closing ceremony, Serign Fall Njie, director general of the  National Planning Commission, called for more participation in the implementation of the 2009 - 2011 Aid Effectiveness Action Plan.

He called for media support in educating the entire population in the Paris Declaration. He then thanked the participants for their hard work and also the UNDP for being the main sponsor of the consultative conference.

For his part, Serign Cham, permanent secretary II at the Department of State for Finance and Economic Affairs said the theme for this conference is to promote and harmonise Aid Coordination in The Gambia, in a bid to ensure effective mobilisation and use of resources.

He called for partnership and unity in the realisation of the set goals of the Aid Coordination.  According to PS Cham, the establishment of an Aid Coordination Framework, National Aid Management Information System (NAMIS), among others as enshrined in the Paris Declaration, should be given more priority in order to achieve their goals. He thanked the participants, as well as the UNDP and NPC for funding the conference.  

Abdou Touray, representing the UNDP resident coordinator in The Gambia, expressed delight at his office’s efforts in funding the conference. According to him, the current global food and financial crisis must be combated in line with the Millennium Development Goals, in order to achieve the target objectives of the Paris Declaration.  

He said effective coordination mechanism will enhance accountability, transparency etc, among other issues. Mr Touray commended the participants for their hard work.