Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – In a significant milestone for The Gambia’s land management reform, the Ministry of Lands, Regional Government, and Religious Affairs has announced that the first National Land Policy, introduced in 2023 and funded by the World Bank, has reached its drafting stage.

This pivotal development was marked by a two-day retreat held from June 19 to 20, 2024, which brought together key stakeholders including chairpersons of the Technical Working Groups (TWGs), members of the Technical Coordinating Committee, the National Steering Committee, and consultant Mr. Abdou Touray.

The retreat served as a platform for the four TWGs—focused on land tenure and administration, land use planning and management, public administration, and legal issues—to collate, synthesize, and produce a comprehensive land issue paper based on their findings.

The consultant, Mr. Abdou Touray, emphasized the retreat’s importance, highlighting that the generated land issue paper will undergo further consultations, reviews, and validation.

Lands’ Permanent Secretary Saffie Sankareh-Farage was among the participants. She underscored the crosscutting nature of land issues and the necessity of involving all relevant stakeholders in the project.

Sankareh-Farage explained that the National Land Policy aims to address land conflicts and update existing laws to align with modern technological practices.

The Ministry of Lands, Regional Government, and Religious Affairs remains committed to eradicating land mismanagement, promoting equality in land distribution, and contributing significantly to the realization of The Gambia’s National Development Plan.

The policy’s development is a crucial step towards sustainable land management and equitable land use in the country.