By: Sarjo M. Camara
Assistant Information Officer, Office of the Vice President
At least two hundred [200] data collectors are undergoing a data collection training at Paradise Suites Hotel. The training was organized by the office of the Vice President in collaboration with the Gamsr data collectors’ training on National Social Registry.
It comes as government funding from the World Bank towards an integrated social protection system in the country. The GAMSR will serve as a single-entry point for the various social protection programmes in The Gambia.
Speaking at the opening of the training, deputy permanent secretary at the Office of the Vice President, Saikou JK Trawally said they have crossed the Rubicon of a process that seeks to establish a database that will guide and give directions to all social development interventions in the country.
“The database would map out poverty and other development concerns in the communities and give government and partners the opportunity to identify development gaps that would require investment for the ultimate improvement in the lives of the people of The Gambia.”
He added that “It will serve as a data repository and will make provisions for other development data requirements for our various development programmes,” he asserted.
He noted that an efficient and effective data repository will guide decisions and policies and also shape our development programme.
He added: “The quality and accuracy of the data will therefore tell your level of commitment to the data collection exercise and the overall attainment of the national social protection goals.”
He called on other development partners to join forces with government in finding lasting solution to the plight of the Gambian people.
Director of the Gambia Bureau of Statistics, Nyakassi M.B. Sanyang, affirmed that their role in this programme is mainly to build the GAMSR as a single-entry point for the main social protection programmes to access information about potential beneficiaries.
Alaye Barra, Coordinator of the National Social Protection Secretariat (NSPS) explained that the Social Safety Net Project aims at providing robust data on key household characteristics to facilitate common assessment and eligibility determination for social assistance programme.
He said it is in line with Government’s development agenda – the NDP – and the Gambia’s Social Protection Policy saying: “It is a system that would help National Social Protection Secretariat coordinate social assistance programme in the country,” he enunciated.
Mr Barra informed that the GAMSR will be hosted at NSPS under the Office of the Vice President and the database shall comprise of households’ demographic and socio-economic data.
