Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The government has no dedicated budget framework for disaster response, Vice President Mohammed B.S. Jallow has told the National Assembly, raising questions about the country’s financial readiness to respond to emergencies.
Responding to lawmakers, the Vice President said disaster preparedness needs are assessed by the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), which then submits funding requests to the Ministry of Finance based on identified needs.
Emergency Funding
He explained that when the President declares a national emergency, a portion of the national budget can also be made available to support the response, subject to the applicable threshold and procedures.
The arrangement means that funding for disaster response is largely dependent on requests being made when needs arise, rather than on a dedicated allocation set aside in advance.
Call For Dedicated Allocation
The disclosure has raised concerns about whether the current funding mechanism can provide sufficient resources for a rapid response when communities are affected by floods, storms and other disasters.
The Vice President, however, indicated that the government is open to establishing a dedicated budget line for disaster management.
He said the NDMA has been advocating for such an allocation for some time, suggesting that the government could consider creating a more predictable funding mechanism to strengthen the country’s disaster preparedness and response capacity.
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