Non-State Actors Capacitised on Grant Management

 A five days from 21st - 25th February, 2010, a training workshop for 13 organisation fondly called as the Non-State Actors (NSA) was held at the Paradise Suites Hotel for the implementation on grant management and implementation. Giving an overview of the training, the programme coordinator, Mr. Fergal Ryan of the Non-state Actors in The Gambia said the training is related to series of grants that is given to 13 organizations for projects to be implemented in the Gambian soil, adding that the project is funded by the European Union (EU) in collaboration with the government of The Gambia. 

The reason for the grant, he remarked, is to enable organizations to implement projects in good governance and sustainable livelihood stating that there will be range of project activities on issues like women participation on domestic processes and training of governance and accountability at local government level that will include public expenditure tracking, in addition, rehabilitating access to rice fields and sustainable forestry and solar power farming. 

Dwelling on the objectives of the training, Ryan stated that is to strengthen the capacity of the organizations receiving the grant to be able to manage the grant effectively use and the funds are effectively use and the beneficiaries see the impact at community level. 

He revealed that the participants are mainly Gambians with a couple of international organizations who are working with local partners adding that the project will last for 12 months and is expected to take place all over the country. 

The following, he noted are the local organizations that are beneficiary to the project- The Association of Non-Governmental Organisation (TANGO), The Gambia Committe on Traditional Practices (GAMCOTRAP), KIANEP, St Joseph Family Farm, Methodist Mission Agricultural Program, Freedom From Hunger Campaign (FFHC), Agency for the Development of Women (ADWAC), Concern Universal, Article 19/ Gambia Press Union (GPU), Methodist Mission Agricultural Programme (MMAP), Njawara Agricultural Training Centre (NATC),  Pro – Poor Advocacy Group (Pro-PAG),West Africa Network for Peace Building (WANEP), and the international partners are SUNRAY INTERNATIONAL, and Spanish Red Cross incollaboration with the Gambia Red Cross. 

Participants were given certificates at the end of the five days intensive training.