The Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources, Lamin Dibba said the Ecosystem Based Adaptation (EbA) project shall directly benefit up to 11,550 Gambian Households with the potential to indirectly reach a further 46,200 households out of which 50% will be women in the target Regions (URR, CRR and LRR).
The Minister made these revelations and others during the handing over of five (5) Tractors, 5 Double Cabin Pick-Ups to EbA Regional Coordinators and 3 Toyota Fortuna to EbA Project’s implementation partners that is the Department of Parks and Wildlife Management (DPWM), Department of Community Development (DCD) and the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources (MECCNAR).
“These vehicles are being provided to enhance the institutional capacity of participating departments and facilitate continuous monitoring and supervision of project activities by senior staff of the respective departments”, He explained.
Dibba explained that the objective of the EbA Project is to build the climate –resilience of rural Gambian communities and by developing a sustainable natural resource-based (green) economy.
He said the project shall rehabilitate up to 10,000 hectares of degraded forest and Community/ Wildlife Protected Areas through reforestation, enrichment planting, conservation of rare and endangered species as well as the restoration of 3,000 hectares of abandoned and marginal agricultural lands.
“The project will also establish natural resource-based businesses as well as provide policy and institutional support to partner developments”, Dibba asserted.
The Minister further highlighted that the EbA Project was borne out of the realization that Gambian local communities and major economic sectors remain vulnerable under conditions of Climate Change. “The livelihoods of majority of rural Gambians are eroding as a result of the degrading environment”, Dibba said. “And the country’s dwindling natural resource base, on which most of these communities depends for their survival.
This project according him was conceived and developed through collaboration between the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) based in Nairobi as the accredited Entity.
Dibba reminded the beneficiaries to take good care of the vehicles as a heavy investment was done on them. “All the 13- vehicles cost about 400,000 Dollars; I will 
implore the recipients to take maximum care of the vehicles in order to ensure their lasting impact on the project”.
Cherno Gaye from the Department of Forestry expressed his appreciations to the donors and said that these investments will go a long way in contributing towards achieving the objectives of building resilience of communities in the project regions and assist them to effectively implement the project as expected.
By: Adam Drammeh
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