VI. POVERTY ALLEVIATION AND THE SOCIAL SECTOR STRATEGY

Mr Speaker, sir,

• The interim PRSP has already undergone a thorough review at the grassroots and the comments from the consultations are being incorporated towards the finalisation of the document by end January 2002, in readiness for completion point of the HIPC initiative. The PRSP, you would recall, spells out the poverty reduction agenda, and specifies the various programme interventions towards achieving middle-income nation status. The finalisation of the PRSP will culminate with a Round Table Conference slated for mid-2002 with the cooperation of UNDP.

• Our poverty reduction strategy continues to target the poor directly through various interventions, aimed broadly at enhancing the individual’s capacity to produce and earn an income, sufficient for his or her economic progress and the provision of social infrastructure for the general well being of the Gambian people.

• A notable player in this arena of poverty reduction includes the Social Development Fund (SDF). The Fund was set up to counter the menace of poverty through a grass-root demand-driven approach with the extension of micro-credit, provision of social service infrastructure, and the provision of technical support towards poverty alleviation for CBOs, NGOs and CSOs.

• To sustain and cement the gains made against poverty by the implementation of SDF programmes, plans are at an advanced stage to transform it into a Fiduciary Financial Institution (FFI). The proposed FFI will continue with the present mandate of SDF in addition to functioning as an apex body for the non-formal financial sector. By this function, the FFI would provide the much needed linkage between the funding agencies, including government, donors, NGOs, banks on the one hand and the Micro-Finance Institutions (MFIs), social development organisations and CBOs on the other hand. The FFI will create a permanent first stage institutional conduit, and a permanent safety net for government and donor procured funds intended for poverty reduction.

• Other players in the micro finance sub-sector include CRS, which is supporting GAFNA in implementing a poverty lending micro-finance project, in order to increase access to credit for approximately 400 poor rural women. Also active in this area are National Co-operative Credit Unions (NACCUG), National Women Finance Association (NAWFA), to name a few.

Mr. Speaker,

• The micro-finance sector has become cardinal to our poverty reduction strategy, focusing inter alia, on credit delivery, capacity building and retention as well as institutional support and strengthening. Government therefore provides the appropriate and adequate regulatory and supervisory services for the proper functioning of the micro-finance institutions as a channel through which rural financial services reach rural households.

• In this regard, the Central Bank in conjunction with Rural Finance Community Initiative Project (RFCIP) have initiated and adopted a co-ordinating framework for all the stakeholders in the sector to monitor the operations of the MFIs in order to enhance efficiency and eliminate duplication of efforts.

i. Health and Population

Mr. Speaker,

• Significant achievements have been made in the health sector, notably the basic health indicators, reduction in the levels of malnutrition and an increase in the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding.

• The thrust of health interventions still revolves around three areas, viz: Family Health, Disease Control, and Health Promotion and Protection. Other health services will focus on conducting reviews and studies to determine adolescent and youth health needs, as well as to establish current status of maternal mortality, infant mortality and contraceptive prevalence. One major factor in the comprehensive review of the MCH/FP Programme is to prepare for a shift into a National Reproductive Health Programme. A Reproductive Health Policy has just been formulated and this will be followed by the development of a national Health Plan of Action.

• The Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) has also been reviewed during the year 2001. Significant achievements registered include a high coverage for individuals, high awareness among the population and high access to immunization services. In spite of the relative high coverage, there has been a decline in the number of fully immunized children. This decline has been attributed to the intermittent shortage of certain vaccines. To alleviate this, the budgetary allocation for the procurement of vaccines has been increased considerably using HIPC funds.

• On disease control, the Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) is one of the new strategies the Department of State for Health has initiated. IMCI is a cost-effective strategy, which the country has decided to implement starting with two health divisions, namely the North Bank Division and Lower River Division. IMCI will contribute significantly to the reduction of infant and child mortality. Regarding the Roll-Back-Malaria Initiative, Government is providing 20,000 Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) to be distributed to health facilities and communities in the Upper River and Central River Divisions.

Mr. Speaker, Sir,

• I would like, at this point to remind the nation of the presence of the monster HIV/AIDS in our midst. Despite the seemingly low prevalence rates of 1.2% for HIV1 and 0.9% for HIV2, we cannot afford to be complacent. It is a medical problem that has a social root and impacts most severely on the economy. HIV/AIDS exists; it kills, creates orphans and makes us poor. However, the good news is that it can be prevented, its victims cared for and the rate of transmission brought down significantly. With this objective, the government will, through the HIV/AIDS Rapid Response Project endeavour to intensify its campaign for prevention and care, adopting a multi-sectoral and multi-dimensional approach to fight against the pandemic.

• On Social Welfare, government has constructed a Home for the Elderly to accommodate up to 14 elderly persons. In addition, a policy for the elderly is currently being formulated with support from the World Health Organization.

• As per the 1993 Census, the Gambia’s population stood at 1.2 million with a high growth rate of 4.2% per annum of which immigration constitutes 1.7%. However, Government is concerned about this high population growth rate as it poses a threat to existing social amenities. Preparations are under way for the 2003 Census and funding is being sought from donors and the private sector.

Mr Speaker,

• With the aspiration of attaining the National Policy objective of making land distribution equitably accessible to all persons without disturbing the fauna and flora, we have recently demarcated and allocated the ‘NEMASU’ Layout consisting of 537 residential plots. We are also in the process of allocating three other Layouts namely, Bijilo residential layout with 124 plots, Brufut with 548 plots, and Tanji with 535 plots. An additional fourth layout is being prepared in Mariama Kunda in Kombo North for lower grade civil servants including Messengers, Drivers, Labourers and Watchmen. A total of 500 plots will be created.

• Following the successful allocation of of 1006 plots of the Brusubi Housing Project Phase 1, and the continuing demand for shelter, the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation (SSHFC) is now embarking on Brusubi Housing Project Phase 2. In Phase 2, 841 serviced plots will be allocated such that each income category gets a specific number of plots.

• All these are geared towards upholding and realising the noble objective of providing adequate housing for all citizens, in line with the Plan of Action of the Strategy for Poverty Alleviation II.

• Government is however shifting from being a provider to an enabler of shelter by encouraging private sector involvement in housing delivery. Recently, two sites have been identified for a private sector developer (TAF HOLDING), Old Yundum and Brufut, and construction work has already started at the old Yundum Site.

iii. Education and Human Resource Development

Mr Speaker, Sir,

• The Government of the Gambia is committed to the provision of 9 years of uninterrupted basic education to all. The academic year 2000/01 has seen a tremendous expansion of Upper Basic Schools, 19 Upper Basic Schools (UBS) were opened in Regions 1,3,4,5 and 6, representing an increment of 22% from the previous year. This has increased the number of places in UBS, thereby increasing access to the middle schools and the transition rate from Lower to Upper Basic level. Three Senior Secondary Schools have also been opened in Regions 1 and 2.

• Overall, 273 classrooms have been completed and 402 more are committed for 2001. Following a study that was carried out to assess the required classroom renovation, the ADB will be funding the maintenance initiative in schools and construction of staff quarters for teachers in remote areas.

• An operational manual has been completed for the Scholarship Trust Fund. Presently, more than 1800 girls in Upper Basic and Secondary Schools are sponsored in CRD and URD for 2000/01, totalling about D1.7m. The scheme is expected to cover other divisions in due course, all in a bid to increase the retention rate. We are also launching a school-feeding programme to improve on the quality and retention in our schools: 243 Schools are benefiting from the Program and a total of 58,573 children of whom 25,641 are girls. With the new school-feeding Program, the number of beneficiary students is expected to more than double. This will also strengthen the nutritional status of the children.

• In line with the government’s policy of creating more self-employment opportunities for young Gambians, a Vocational Technical Education Policy document is being developed. A draft Policy of the National Training Authority Act has been submitted to cabinet and will be forwarded to the National Assembly for approval.

• Part of the new Directorate of Science and Technology Education's mandate is the introduction and the promotion of computer education in Secondary Schools throughout the country. It is also mandated to come up with an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) policy that will address various aspects of computer use in our educational institutions.

• By the beginning of next academic year, most Senior Secondary Schools throughout the country will each receive between 75 Computers and Accessories. This is in addition to 220 computers donated by World Links for Development. Work on construction and rehabilitation of computer labs in these schools will soon commence.

Mr Speaker,

• As part of the drive to increase access to university education at home, three more faculties were established for the 2000/01 academic year, making a total of four faculties namely: Humanities & the Social Sciences, Science & Agriculture, Economics & Management Science, and Medicine & Allied Sciences. Currently, over 400 students are enrolled on these faculties. Arrangements are underway to enrol the next batch of students as the University moves into the second year.

• In the linking up process of the two parallel school systems, twenty qualified English Language Teachers have been posted in the Madrassas that have met the criteria set by DOSE. The mainstreaming of children with mild to moderate disability into the normal school system is also in progress. Ten students in Lower Basic Schools, 7 in Upper basic Schools, 3 in Senior Secondary Schools and 4 in Vocational Training Institutions have already been mainstreamed.

• There is also the need to raise the number of qualified teachers for our expanding school system. Thus Gambia College has more than doubled its student intake into the pre-service teacher education courses from 120 in 1997 to over 300 per year. As a result of the delays incurred at the beginning of the program, student intake for pre-service training courses were revised to meet planned targets.

iv. Youth, Sport and Women Development

Mr Speaker,

• Poverty and unemployment generally, and particularly in the case of Youths, do not augur well for society. Subsequently, the mandate of the National Youth Service Scheme (NYSS) is being expanded to incorporate apprenticeship training and market relevant skills development for more young men and women in the economy, in a continuous effort to assist youths individually towards self-development and collectively for national development.

• In the domain of sports, the construction works on the Basse, Soma and Farafenni multi-purpose Youth and Sports Centres are well advanced. Plans are also underway to extend sporting facilities to District and municipal levels, and to set up a Sports Development Fund, to be financed through the Tobacco Advert Levy and from other sources.

Mr. Speaker,

• Women constitute about 51% of our population and dominate the labour force. They work the longest hours and also produce most of what we can boast of. They however, constitute the greater proportion of the poor. Government has realised that in women, lay a portent force against poverty, hence our effort at mainstreaming women issues into all development programmes and projects. The first National Policy for the Advancement of Gambian Women was launched in March 2001 and with the kind intervention of DFID, some of these issues are being addressed by the Mainstreaming Poverty and Gender project.

• As a result, we have phase the Scholarship Trust Fund for Girls into NBD and LRD in addition to URD and CRD to increase the number of educated girls. We are also restructuring the Women’s Bureau to effectively implement the National Policy for the Advancement of Gambian Women, and better respond to the needs of our women folk.

-end.