By: Lamin B. Darboe
Senior Communication Officer, MoFWR
The Department of Water Resources has concluded a three-day validation workshop on the National Water Policy 2026-2035 and the Water Resources Strategic Plan 2026-2030 in Soma, Lower River Region.
The validation, which opened at Mosses Lodge in Soma, ended on Thursday, 3 September 2026.
Organised by the Department of Water Resources under the Ministry of Fisheries, Water Resources and National Assembly Matters, the workshop brought together representatives from various government sectors and key stakeholders.
The two policy documents seek to ensure equitable access to adequate, clean and safe water for domestic use, while promoting the efficient, sustainable use and conservation of water resources through an Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) approach.
The documents also seek to prevent and reduce pollution and degradation of water resources, promote sustainable management of the natural environment and protect ecosystems.
Other objectives include strengthening the capacity of key institutions to manage water resources effectively, reducing flood risks and supporting national efforts to address droughts, particularly in the face of growing climate change impacts.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, Deputy Permanent Secretary-Technical at the Ministry of Fisheries, Water Resources and National Assembly Matters, Fanta BS Manneh, thanked participants for setting aside their official engagements to take part in the validation exercise.
Manneh said the strong participation demonstrated the commitment of stakeholders to putting national interests first and developing policy documents that reflect the priorities of various government sectors.
She said the exercise would also help ensure that each sector works in a coordinated and strategic manner in implementing the two documents.
“We want these strategic documents to be embedded in our policy documents. During the validation, we made recommendations and adjustments. We scrutinised the two documents completely,” she said.
Manneh urged the consultant and technical team to review the recommendations made during the workshop and ensure that they are incorporated into the final versions of the documents.
She also thanked UNICEF for funding the validation exercise and expressed hope that the organisation would continue supporting the ministry and other government partners, noting that water is a cross-cutting issue requiring collaboration across sectors.
For his part, Director of Water Resources Foday Conteh described the two documents as comprehensive and of good quality.
He said key issues relating to water resources had been captured in the documents and commended participants for their contributions to the validation process.
The validation is expected to contribute to strengthening the policy and strategic framework for sustainable water resources management in The Gambia.