Local Government Authorities at the Banjul City Council, Kanifing Municipal Council and the Brikama Area Council, were recently trained on child rights issues and child friendly budgeting at a three-day training workshop held at the KMC Chambers.

The training workshop organised by the Child Protection Alliance in collaboration with Actionaid-The Gambia, was aimed at training Local Government Authorities on various child rights and child protection issues in the country and the roles of the local authorities in addressing those issues.

Delivering his keynote address at the opening ceremony, Ismaila Sambou, Secretary of State for Local Government and Lands, said the workshop offers the opportunity for them to focus their attention on children, noting that they are the future leaders of the country and hence will be unacceptable for them to be abused and exploited. He added that, the administrative areas of Banjul, Kanifing and Brikama combined, have the highest population, noting that children in these areas need to become much more central in their planning and programming. He said “in a bid to adequately support these children and their families, we need to re-assess our existing policies and programmes and also consider the possibility of new interventions which will aim at reaching disadvantaged and vulnerable children within our society’’, he said.

SoS Sambou then reaffirmed government’s commitment to continue to put children high on its political and development agenda.

Others speakers at the ceremony included Wingston Shyngle, deputy Mayor of BCC, Abdou FM Badjie, Governor of Western Region and Lamin Ceesay, President of the Voice of the Young.