By: Dawda Baldeh
Presenting the country’s report at the ongoing ECOWAS Parliament Ordinary Session in Abuja on Thursday 16 June 2022, Honorable Billay G. Tunkara, head of Gambian ECOWAS Delegates has said climate change constitutes one of the greatest burdens to national development efforts, poverty alleviation and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He said the government of The Gambia through the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources, and the National Environment Agency continue to work with relevant stakeholders to formulate and implement environment and climate change policies.
Hon. Tunkara added that the agency coordinates and enforces environmental regulations to address the current and emerging environmental issues.
“Currently, there are lot of pressures facing the environment which have led to the alteration of ecosystem, change in water quality, coastal erosion, pollution, from fishing processing, tourism littering and sewage outfall,” he said.
He continued: “Land degradation, deforestation, land exchange and flow of second-have goods with high level of electronic waste and urbanization are issues of great concerns.”
Speaking further, the Kantora NAM said, measures have been put in place by the government to mitigate some of the environmental problems which include, the enforcement of the ban on plastic bags order in 2015, enforcement on environmental impact assessment regulations and guidelines, enforcement on anti-littering regulations, enforcement on National Environment Management act and strengthening the implementation and ratification of convention multilateral environment agreements.
The ECOWAS Parliament comprises members of different countries within West Africa which are currently presenting their countries report in Abuja.
