By Lamin B. Darboe
With funding from German Embassy in Dakar, Senegal the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) donated IT and Evidence Collection equipment to the Drug Law Enforcement Agency of The Gambia (DLEAG).
Alhaji Tijan Bah deputy director general DLEAG commended UNODC for the donation at the handing-over ceremony on Tuesday at its headquarters at Pipeline
“We are grateful to all of you for supporting us for the past years and the items donated will help the agency to stand on its feet because the agency is struggling to meet its end needs,” he said.
Bah, recalled that his office have benefited a lot from UNODC and German Embassy in the areas of trainings and other supports and he assurance to the duo that the items donated will be put into better use.
He said drug crimes are facilitated by drug use and traffickers, noting money from drug can also be used to finance terrorism and money laundry.
Program Coordinator UNODC, Banjul office, Andrea Vandom announced that the handing over of the IT and evidence collection equipment was the final activity of the project.
The project: “Enhancing national capacity to detect and investigate cross-border organized crime in The Gambia, Guinea Bissau and Senegal,” started years back.
According to Vandom, the mandated of the UNODC is to support Member States in the implementation of measures to comply with the UNCTOC and three International Drug Control Conventions.
UNODC has been in West Africa for more than 25 years through its Regional Office for West and Central Africa based in Senegal and its 13 field offices.
She pointed out that West Africa remains a region vulnerable to, and affected by transitional organized crimes, noting that current threats included the use of the region as a transit area for Cocaine and Heroin.
She urged DLEAG officials to implement lesson acquired from previous trainings undertaking by UNODC and ECOWAS for over past years and also said the items UNODC donated will enhance evidence collection and analysis in fight against organized crime.
The deputy head of Mission, German Embassy in Dakar, Christian Rumplecker noted that peace and freedom are very much at the center of German Foreign policy.
He described Africa as a continent full of opportunities thus its demographic development, wealth of natural resources and growing middle class have the potential to give rise to growth markets in the near future.
“German is a major development partner to The Gambia and we will continue to support The Gambia in areas where support is most needed, namely; vocational training and creation of new jobs”.
This year, we will start cooperation with our Gambian partners’ new program worth 16 million Euros,” he concluded.
