Gambia

A five-day workshop on enhancing stakeholder participation in the Gambia National Forest Programme (NFP) was held in Tendaba Camp, Kiang Central District from 5-10 July, 2010. Staff members of the line departments, University of The Gambia, local nongovernmental organizations, local authorities, the National Assembly and community-based organizations from the natural resource sector were in attendance. A total of seventeen stakeholder representatives, including four women and thirteen men, were trained.

The training focused on improving stakeholder understanding of the NFP context, rationale and principles and its relevance to collaborative natural resource management and sustainable livelihoods. Participants were encouraged to examine and reflect on the various steps of participatory and contextual planning approaches and were introduced to the principles and skills of participatory natural resource management. Upon developing a better understanding of participatory process, participants were provided with tools to guide multi-stakeholder participation in the NFP process.

A report entitled Training Workshop Report on Enhancing Stakeholder Participation in The Gambia National Forest Programme  was developed subsequent to the training to provide an overview of activities conducted, as well as the recommendations and conclusions that emerged as outcomes of the workshop.