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| Momodou |
Posted - 30 Jun 2017 : 18:41:45
National think tank launched
By Rose Zahra Gomez
The Point: Friday, June 30, 2017
http://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/national-think-tank-launched
 The Gambia government has launched a 16-member national think tank tasked with giving technical and expert guidance to the vision and priorities of the new administration.
The think tank consists of people with different areas of expertise and experience that would be harnessed in building a New Gambia.
It was launched on Thursday at the State House in Banjul on behalf of President Adama Barrow by the Minister of Women’s Affairs, Aja Fatoumata Jallow-Tambajang, who is also overseeing the Office of the Vice President.
Madam Jallow-Tambang said the national think tank initiative was the first of its kind in The Gambia and it represents the president’s political vision and commitment of Coalition 2016 to bring citizens together in building a New Gambia.
“The national think tank will help the government and the private sector in national development, empowering the youth in particular,” she said, adding that the think tank secretariat will assist the government in policy making, advocacy and bringing partnership for positive change.
The secretary general and Head of the Civil Service, Dawda Fadera, said the launching of the think tank was “a historic milestone in the history of The Gambia”.
“The think tank is a classic vision of President Barrow and a vital part of the manifesto of the coalition government,” he said, adding that the group represents the national expert bank for The Gambia.
“The body comprises great men and women who have expertise from various backgrounds.”
According to Mr Fadera, the think tank is critical in the present situation of The Gambia for the country is “in ground zero” in terms of development.
“After 22 years, we endure poor governance, a broken economic, a challenged public service and lack of national dialogue,” he said.
Serign Falu Njie, coordinator for the think tank, said the think tank will facilitate a national vision 2030, the national development plan that will support and enhance priority development goal in focusing on key issues of development such as education and infrastructural development.
He said the mid and long term plans for the think tank is for the government to achieve its aims and objectives and to create a one-stop shop that will enhance development data information among all sectors and also facilitate development to all Gambians using modern technology and enhancing a knowledge generation.
“The membership of the think tank secretariat is not link to any political affiliation but rather on expertise and willingness to serve the country,” Mr Njie said. |
| 5 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| toubab1020 |
Posted - 20 Jul 2017 : 10:24:10
I missed this in my excitement at the formation of a Think Tank in Gambia anyway a little late but giving an American slant on Think Tanks.Authored by David FRUM in The Point Newspaper FRIDAY 30th JUNE 2017.
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Friday, June 30, 2017
One of the most peculiar, and least understood, features of the American policy process is the extraordinary dependence of policymakers on the work of think tanks.
Most Americans — even most of those who follow politics closely — would probably struggle to name a think tank or to explain precisely what a think tank does. Yet over the past half-century, think tanks have come to play a central role in policy development — and even in the surrounding political combat.
Over that period, however, the balance between those two functions — policy development and political combat — has been steadily shifting. And with that shift, the work of think tanks has undergone a transformation.
Today, while most think tanks continue to serve as homes for some academic-style scholarship regarding public policy, many have also come to play more active (if informal) roles in politics. Some serve as governments-in-waiting for the party out of power, providing professional perches for former officials who hope to be back in office when their party next takes control of the State House. Some serve as training grounds for young activists.
Some new think tanks have even been created as direct responses to particular, narrow political exigencies. As each party has drawn lessons from various electoral failures over recent decades, their conclusions have frequently pointed to the need for new think tanks (often modeled on counterparts on the opposite side of the political aisle).
Today, think tanks are highly influential in our politics; their research and scholars are heavily consulted and relied on by our elected leaders. And in a time of both daunting policy challenges and highly polarized political debates, there is every reason to expect that think tanks will grow only more important in Washington.
As they become more political, however, think tanks — especially the newer and more advocacy-oriented institutions founded in the past decade or so — risk becoming both more conventional and less valuable.
At a moment when we have too much noise in politics and too few constructive ideas, these institutions may simply become part of the intellectual echo chamber of our politics, rather than providing alternative sources of policy analysis and intellectual innovation.
Given these concerns, it is worth reflecting on the evolution of the Washington think tank and its consequences for the nation.
It is important not to overstate the independence and the value of the original think-tank model. Because it informs the political system, policy research has always been political. The Brookings Institution, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the other first-generation think tanks drew upon a certain set of political presumptions, and were able to sustain a patina of objectivity only because those presumptions were shared by an extended elite.
The value of that original model, therefore, was not that it was objective; it very often was nothing of the sort. Its value, rather, came from its ability to bring serious, original, expert research to the task of analyzing policy problems and proposing solutions. It sought to expand the range of options under debate and to ground that debate in hard facts and figures.
Some new think tanks, by contrast, are less likely to expand the range of options under debate. Rather, these institutions are helping politicians avoid the difficult task of pursuing creative policy solutions by giving them more ways to persist in failed courses. There are still great exceptions in the think-tank world, on all sides of our politics, but they increasingly have trouble being heard over the din.
It is not easy to see a way out of this problem. Every incentive — political, financial, and professional — points toward the further politicization of think tanks. The countervailing force would probably need to come from policymakers themselves. Guest editorial
“Think tanks do have points of view, and they are absolutely entitled to defend them”
David Frum
http://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/explaining-the-role-of-a-think-tank
quote:
Originally posted by Momodou
National think tank launched
The Point: Friday, June 30, 2017
http://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/national-think-tank-launched
The Gambia government has launched a 16-member national think tank tasked with giving technical and expert guidance to the vision and priorities of the new administration.
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| toubab1020 |
Posted - 20 Jul 2017 : 10:02:46
An interesting course of action for the unnamed author to take,I wonder if the THINK TANK will water the long grass after apparently having been kicked into at present.
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This from The Point Newspaper:
"I will pause here for now and only engage this issue if it becomes absolutely necessary…"
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Preamble: According to literature, Think Tanks exist across the globe and are presented in variant forms and shapes. Although government type Think tanks are common, generally TTs emerge spontaneously and often outside government establishments and without government influence or protection. Even if they are within government calls, they are assigned specific tasks in non conflicting roles and their establishment supported by law. Government TTs are often reactive in nature but in the long run become institutionalised drawing on meager government resources after assuming legitimacy.
Question: What were the triggers for setting up the Gambia National Think Tank and under what law/s was it established?
It is not in doubt that even after 5 months of its conception, there is still NO Terms of Reference (TOR) to provide an operational guide and direction for the Think Tankers. As is characteristic of most Gambians, we have already begun measuring the Think tankers against the expected tasks without confirming what their job entails as a body. Of course there are a few who have started asking the fundament questions vis-à-vis what this group should deliver in the interest of the wider (Gambian) society. I’m sure most of us were bewildered and carried by the list of people that constituted the group especially names that were preceded by DR (Doctor) lined up at the top of the listing (Page 2, The Voice of Friday 30th July 2017). We have high regard for these people and the entire group and I am sure they are also asking – “what are people’s expectations of us and how do we respond…”
The same release dotted… “The Think Tank is aimed at facilitating the formulation and national knowledge development processes of the National Development Plan (NDP) which will cover the period 2017 – 2019 (I assume this is the duration for the Barrow and coalition administration)…” and continued with a list of areas for the group’s engagement during this period. Perhaps this list was provided by the group to the paper during their inauguration. This list more or less covers all the sectors and units that the government currently administers and under the guardianship of an established and comprehensive civil service recognised by law (a Constitutional Provision, Chapter XI, and Sections 166-171). Without a clear TOR delineating the two functions, I would conclude that the job of the two certainly will overlap and may become tricky for the newly established TT without a legal anchor. If it persists to exist, I see the TT becoming another Senior Management Team (SMT) within the Civil Service establishment illegitimately. All the ministries have departments/units and the requisite management structures, planning units responsible for research; and what about the Gambia Bureau of Statistics (GBoS)…? – do we want to make these institutions and departments redundant and pay them for opening their offices in the morning and locking them in the afternoon. Obviously, I think government cannot afford this cost and should not. I don’t think we lack data in the country, the problem is with utilisation and how we develop the culture of making data the basis for development planning.
Another conflicting area for this group is their role in advising government in policy areas intimated in Fatoumata Tambajang’s speech during the inauguration. This function is the responsibility of cabinet, the collective of ministers and as provided by law. Each minister gathers such information from her/his team – the permanent secretaries and their staff with the requisite skills sets. Who is better positioned to provide such data and information than these legally established ministries. Are we confused? Also she said the TT will validate the three year national development plan. The plan is a national document and the validation should be a national responsibility and this raises the issues of inclusion and exclusion errors in our planning process.
The Finance Minister, Amadou Sanneh has just presented the revised 2017 budget estimates (showing a declining trend) and the impacts on certain sectors. Development is holistic and integrated. We must not therefore, focus our attention on certain issues no matter how much they appeal to us and forget other areas needed to support the particular issue.
It is my view that Barrow and the coalition government cannot afford creating new structures that will add new demands and put undue pressure on the already dwindling and overstretched budget. Remember, while there is no free money/budget, there is also no free service. The people identified for this function will have to be compensated as they have responsibilities like any other Gambian. If they say they will provide their services for free, I am saying that is flawed and is untenable.
The focus should be on the reforms Barrow promised to undertake soon after his election. And in this case the reform of the civil service – make it better (streamline & save budget), motivated (pay them well and create new opportunities), efficient (capable & professional) and competitive (establish a right choice supermarket) etc. Of course we should not forget the other reform areas – constitutional reform (all encompassing and not piecemeal), institutional reform, judicial reform and overall systems reform (e.g. tax/revenue), etc. This must be conducted by people or bodies independent of the office holders of the various entities. Hence the urgent need for establishing the relevant commissions, committees or task forces as appropriate.
Agenda setting: The launching of the Gambia National Think Tank was held under the theme: “Promoting Nationally Driven Development agenda through Democracy, Good Governance and Rule of Law” could be seen to be timely. At least it is a new agenda for the Barrow administration and perhaps considered in light of its ability to appeal to donors especially the World Bank and International Monetary. However, on reflection I know this is an old agenda and we have created a new “jar” to pour in fresh water. This agenda was in response to Aid Effectiveness and Paris Agenda for development (2005) implementation evaluated, The HIPIC initiative and the construction of the PRSPs with the bank and Fund, even the participatory processes introduced in the 80s/90s aimed at community driven national development plans etc, etc. Or do we want bring back the national planning commission? These are centrally planning processes and rarely impact the periphery and the poor.
Participation and Transparency are key principles of good governance and democracy….
Question 1: How much consultation (spread and depth) was done on the National Think Tank before its actual launch…?
Question 2: The location of the group is still hanging as the office of vice president continues to be vacant without a post holder. Where will this Think Tank be located ultimately and appropriately….? The group needs to be connected if it is an imperative structure for our development process.
I will pause here for now and only engage this issue if it becomes absolutely necessary… |
| toubab1020 |
Posted - 01 Jul 2017 : 17:23:25
"In my view the think tank must dedicate itself to the reconstruction of our statecraft into a modern democratic dispensation. The Barrow Administration is a transitional instrument hence it cannot hope to fix all of the myriad social, economic and political challenges the Gambia faces"
Personally I agree with the contents of the above quotation,BUT as usual it is a talking shop with members from MOST strata of the population of The Gambia with several gaps which have not been filled by experts (as explained in the body of the text authored by Madi Jobarteh)the scope of the Thought Tank have yet to be published,unless I have missed something.
AS usual in Africa is the lack of money,if development is to progress it WILL COST MONEY WHO WILL PROVIDE MONEY FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF SCHEMES OR IDEAS and what timescale will be made for repayment to those who have provided the money ?
In the world of the 21st Century MONEY is in the forefront of thinking. |
| Momodou |
Posted - 30 Jun 2017 : 21:09:46
Building The New Gambia
By Madi Jobarteh
The Think Tank: My Commendation and Issues!
The idea of a think tank emanates from the civil society where a group of professionals or experts would constitute themselves into an institute or an organization to engage in research and advocacy. Such research and advocacy are geared towards generating or focusing on ideas, knowledge, policy and development. Through studies or policy research or development evaluation, think tanks therefore identify new trends, highlight gaps and proffer solutions which are then used by governments, the private sector and indeed any other stakeholder to address challenges and grow. The United States is one country that has made great use of think tanks in building their country into one of the most advanced places on earth.
The Gambia National Think Tank (GNTT) is not a private or civil society initiative. Rather it is constituted by the government. In its membership, there are public servants as well as private individuals most of who have had longstanding engagement with the public sector in both the PPP and APRC administrations in various capacities. For example the GNTT Chair Sering Falu Njie once headed the National Planning Commission in 2008/2009 as well as headed the national initiative against poverty, SPACO in 2003 to 2007. Some had served as consultants for various public sector institutions under both the PPP and APRC regimes, while others were former ministers and senior public officeholders. Still others have been active in the private and civil society sectors locally and internationally. This means they have all been active with the Gambia even though we could not produce a free and developed society.
That notwithstanding, the members of the think tank are indeed well known and well qualified Gambian experts that can deliver. Their profiles tell us that there is no Gambian who knows the Gambia better or more than these people. Hence they cannot and must not fail the Gambia. They were there when the First Republic failed the people, and they were there when the Second Republic was being built into a regime of blood and tears for Gambians. Therefore Sering Falu Njie and his fellow think tankers must know that Gambians also know them and we are watching.
It is important to note that the 19-member group has only four women and one youth, with no professionals from the academia, media, clergy, NGO and farming communities. The terms of reference of the think tank appear not being public yet. But citizens do need to know the terms of GNTT in order to empower the people to know how and on what issues to engage GNTT and above all to hold the think tank to account. In the launching speeches and messages reference was consistently made to national development and good governance. But what do they mean?
In light of the above and knowing from where the Gambia has come, it is an understatement to say that this think tank has a huge job on their hands. Not just professionally, but also politically and morally. The making or the breaking of the Gambia has now been placed squarely on the head of Falu Njie and his colleagues. Therefore as adult Gambians who have seen and engaged in the yester years of the Gambia, they have no excuse for not providing the necessary, urgent and unpleasant advice that this country needs. This is a huge opportunity placed on their hands. It is a personal issue as well because they now have the chance to either repair their own individual shortcomings or excesses, if any they have caused the Gambia in the past or make that contribution they could not have been able to do before. Will they live up to expectation? That is the question.
In my view the think tank must dedicate itself to the reconstruction of our statecraft into a modern democratic dispensation. The Barrow Administration is a transitional instrument hence it cannot hope to fix all of the myriad social, economic and political challenges the Gambia faces. This administration has taken over from a 22 year regime which practically either undermined or weakened or dismantled each and every national institution hence the broken system we have now. No Gambian must honestly therefore expect that water and electricity supply could be fixed in just three years. No Gambian must think that farmers' plight could be addressed within three years. No Gambian must think that Barrow can make the prisons top standard immediately or solve waste collection or fix all the roads in Banjul right now.
Hence this think tank must think deeply to advise Barrow realistically on what he must focus on and how. It must identify what needs to change and when. This is why I think the best thing this think tank can do is to review our entire legal, policy and institutional environment in terms of the very structure, function and management of the state in order to ensure good governance and sustainable development. In other words, GNTT must be the vehicle for bringing about system change that the country badly needs if it is to survive well into the future.
For example, in terms of agriculture, we must bear in mind that since independence the Gambia has been unable to ensure food security and food self-sufficiency. Meantime we had the most intellectuals within the Ministry of Agriculture for decades. They had multiple projects and millions of dollars of funding. Yet since the First Republic, the Gambia imports more food than we produce despite the fact that we have a largely flat and fertile land with incredible amount of water as rain, underground water and River Gambia with adequate labour. Therefore why was it that we could not feed ourselves? This answer lies nowhere but in the kind of policies, laws, personnel and institutions and the kind of political leadership we always had since independence. Just as it is in agriculture, one can find the same explanation for the poor performance in sports, education, community development or energy among other sectors. They all reflect that there was something fundamentally wrong with our state system for which we could not just deliver as we should despite the presence of all the necessary resources.
This means therefore that GNTT must be able to identify our challenges as a nation and offer policy solutions. The think tank must realize that it is not the government and it has no partisan political base or objectives. Hence its role must be to offer policy ideas to restructure our management, governance and development systems in terms of ideas, tools, laws and institutions. Policy is a roadmap that leads to a destination. Hence I do not expect the GNTT and Barrow will take the Gambia to its rightful destination or develop this country within three years. Rather I expect that they must establish the right roadmap so that future governments would find in place a structure or system that if they follow will get the country to that desired destination. This, I think should be the fundamental role and contribution of the think tank.
In this regard, it is important that the think tank understand the state of affairs in the country and the expectations of the masses. They must exercise clear genuineness and commitment to the country. They must realize that they are not a political action group for Barrow or any other party or individual. They must guard their integrity, independence and credibility and understand that they are now the crafters of a new Gambia. This means the think tank must be ready to produce the right ideas and policies even if unpleasant. They must be prepared to stand their ground against any attempts by Barrow and the government to coerce or compromise them into political expediency in any form. To protect their credibility, the think tank must therefore share its finalized policy solutions and ideas with the general public knowing that ultimately their legitimacy comes from the people of the Gambia.
Similarly Barrow and his government must demonstrate to Gambians that they did not form this think tank only for selfish political reasons. They must realize that this think tank is not for the purpose of political expediency intended to secure their future political objectives. Barrow must demonstrate to us that he conceived this think tank out of a deep and genuine concern to build a new Gambia never seen before since independence. This means Barrow must be honest and fair to the think tank to give them the necessary space, resources and respect to do their job. He must be prepared to receive their solutions and demonstrate political will and commitment to implement those solutions. Where he cannot implement any solution he must tell us publicly what are his reasons. He must not allow the government to spend resources on such an initiative only to ignore the product of that initiative.
Finally Gambians deserve to know the structure, functions, powers and focus areas of the think tank. The think tank must inform citizens about how to access them. They must create a platform to engage citizens in order to obtain necessary data and ideas. Therefore we expect GNTT to create a website and social media platforms as well as engage in community meetings, organize policy forums and create other places of interactions so that Gambians can share their views and desires for a new Gambia. The business of building the Gambia is the responsibility of all citizens. The good thing about such initiatives is that they create the avenues to have a conversation with all stakeholders. Thus the think tank is an opportunity available to all citizens to contribute their quota to national development. Hence let the think tank open up to the people immediately so that the conversations can start.
Kudos to the Barrow Administration! Good luck to GNTT!!
God Bless the Gambia. |
| Momodou |
Posted - 30 Jun 2017 : 18:46:34
Gambia National Think Tank – a scholarly, non-political body composed of seasoned members from different developmental areas including health, economy, foreign affairs, energy, youth etc, has a primary mandate to provide professional guidance on major developmental and policy issues to be undertaken by President Adama’s government.
THE MEMBERS ARE:
1. Dr Ahmad Tijan Jallow, a consultant
2. Abdoulie Touray, an economics and Head of Sahel Investment
3. Abdou Njie, former Governor of Central Bank
4. Dr Kujay Manneh, former Executive Director of Actionaid International - Gambia
5. Dr Siga Jagne, she once worked for Women’s Bureau, served as Director of the NGO ProPAG and now, a renowned gender and development consultant
6. Hon. Sidia Jatta, National Assembly Member
7. Fafa M’Bai, Senior Lawyer
8. Mambury Njie, Fomer Secretary General, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Finance and later Higher Education
9. Sidi Sanneh, A Gambian based in the US and one time Minister of Foreign AffaiJeng
10. Dr Ayo Palmer, former UNICEF Health Specialist and now Head of West Field Clinic
11. Professor Dr Tumani Corrah, Director of MRC - Faraja Unit
12. Mr Lamin Darboe, Executive Director, National Youth Council
13. Mamour Jagne, an experienced Economics, International Consultant, former Gambia's Ambassador to Belgium and EU
Other Members are:
14. Bai Mass Taal
15. Dr Ebrima Sall
16. Mr Kemo Conteh
17. Dr Mariama Sarr
18. James Oreme and
19. MS Jeng
Evidently, the new leadership understands that running a government is serious matter requires all hands on deck and not just one man running the show
#GambiaOnTheMove
By Bakary Badji
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