The Office of the Vice (OVP) has last week sent out invitation letters to Gambians and members of the diplomatic and consular corps to the launching of a National Think Tank, with the theme “Promoting Nationally Driven Development for Democratization, Rule of Law, and good Governance”.
The launching is expected to take place on Wednesday, 14 June 2017, at the Grand Tent State House grounds, and will be presided over by the overseer of the Office of the Vice President and Minister of Women’s Affairs, Honorable Fatoumata Jallow-Tambajang, on behalf of His Excellency President Adama Barrow.
According to the invitation letter sent out, the Think-Tank Initiative is a translation of his Excellency Barrow’s vision to promote democratic and human rights approaches as well as collective national responsibility to redress the existing acute national brain drain to rebuild The New Gambia, through harnessing and maximizing the use of our increasing number of national expertise at all levels for sustainable development.
The letter added that the Think-Tank, will work with a pool of multidisciplinary national consultants under the direct supervision of the Office of The Vice President, which is, de jure and de facto, responsible for coordinating the implementation of the National Development Agenda.
The initial work of the Think-Tank is expected to facilitate the formulation and national knowledge development processes of the National Development Plan (NDP), which will cover the period 2017-2019 and focus on the following overarching thematic areas: Agricultural Modernization, Fisheries and Forestry Civic Engagement and Citizen Empowerment Education, Research Science and Technology Environment and Climate Change Finance and Economic Management Foreign Affairs, International Relation and The Diaspora, Gender, Youth and Children ICT, Print, Electronic and Social Media Justice, Human Rights and National Reconciliation Medical and Public Health Equity, National, Regional and Local Governance Petroleum, Energy, Housing and Transport Infrastructure Population, Demographics and Statistics, Sports, Culture and Entertainment Tourism Trade, Industry and Regional Integration
