Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The Gambia is moving to strengthen regulation of groundwater abstraction as climate change, rising salinity, and growing demand place increasing pressure on one of the country’s most important water resources.
The Department of Water Resources (DWR) brought together government institutions, development partners, technical experts, and other stakeholders on Monday for its third national stakeholder workshop on groundwater and surface water abstraction regulations and governance.
The day-long workshop, held at the NaNA Conference Hall along Bertil Harding Highway, is part of efforts to develop a modern regulatory framework for managing the country’s water resources.
The initiative is also linked to The Gambia’s climate reform commitments under the International Monetary Fund’s Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), which includes reforms aimed at strengthening groundwater governance.
IMF Resident Representative Jean Marc Atsebi said groundwater is a strategic national resource that supports households and agriculture while providing an important buffer during periods of drought.
But he warned that climate change, rising salinity, and increasing demand are placing growing pressure on the resource.
According to Atsebi, IMF analysis has highlighted the importance of improving groundwater governance to ensure that the resource remains available for future generations. He said one of the reforms under the approximately US$63 million RSF arrangement focuses on establishing a modern framework for regulating groundwater abstraction.
Stronger Water Governance
Opening the workshop, Director of Water Resources Foday Conteh said water is fundamental to human life, supporting ecosystems, sustaining biodiversity, and contributing significantly to socio-economic development.
He said the workshop provided stakeholders with an opportunity to review, discuss, and contribute to the development of regulatory frameworks and tools for water governance.
“Effective water governance requires strong institutions, sound policies, reliable data, stakeholder participation, and a shared commitment to protecting the country’s water resources for both present and future generations,” Conteh said.
Development Partners Back Reform
Senior Climate Change Officer at the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, and Natural Resources, Sambou Kinteh, delivered a statement on behalf of Permanent Secretary Ebrima Jawara.
Kinteh expressed appreciation to the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the AdaptAction Programme for their financial and technical support, as well as the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs and the IMF for their support to the reform process.
He also commended the consulting team from BRL Ingénierie of France for its analysis and technical work.
Head of the French Diplomatic Mission to The Gambia, Stephane Dovert, also addressed the gathering.
The opening ceremony was chaired by Landing Bojang, Chief Hydrologist and Head of the Hydrology Unit under the Ministry of Fisheries, Water Resources and National Assembly Matters.
The workshop is expected to contribute to efforts to establish clearer rules for groundwater and surface water abstraction while strengthening data, institutional coordination, and stakeholder participation in the management of The Gambia’s water resources.
This opening makes the resource pressure and regulatory response the news, rather than the workshop itself.
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