Launched on 14 January, the network will aim to help improve the management of resources and wastes in the country, preventing pollution and supporting livelihoods in a green economy.
The project is supported by up to £150,000 of funding from the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM), as well as technical and in-kind support from its members.
WasteAid explained that resources in The Gambia are currently used in a linear fashion and soon become waste, which can pollute the ground, air and water courses and impact people’s health.
Under the scheme, the charity plans on sharing recycling knowledge and skills, training 30 vulnerable people to generate income from wastes, and supporting local innovation.
Innovation
At the launch, deputy mayor Binta Janneh-Jallow of Kanifing municipal council, said: “An important facet of this new Circular Economy Network project will be support for Gambian innovation to reduce, reuse and recycle different waste materials”.
The deputy major added: “Recycling provides livelihood opportunities by turning waste into a resource and benefitting all aspects of society”.
At the launch event, H.E. Lamin Dibba, Minister of Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change said: “This Circular Economy Network will support our national green recovery initiative, protect natural resources and prevent climate emissions. Importantly, it will raise the profile of sustainable resource management and provide a platform for national stakeholders and waste managers in the UK to collaborate.”
Knowledge
Circular Economy Network users will be able to access training and take part in knowledge sharing sessions alongside experienced waste managers from the UK.
Network activities will aim to assist with regional and cross-sector cooperation and also help government ministries, councils, businesses and community-based organisations work together to progress sustainable waste management.
“The Gambia has some significant waste management challenges, but there are also ambitious policymakers, committed councils and an engaged civil society willing to deliver the change that is needed,” Ceris Turner-Bailes, CEO of WasteAid said.
‘Active role’
Adam Read, CIWM president added: “We look forward to playing an active role in delivering increasingly sustainable waste management practices in the Greater Banjul Area of The Gambia.
“The provision of funding for this large-scale delivery project demonstrates our continued commitment to advancing waste and resource management capability and enabling the transition to more circular economies across the globe.”
The event was also addressed by His Excellency Lamin Dibba of The Gambia and British High Commissioner, David Belgrove.
WasteAid
WasteAid has been working in The Gambia since 2015 and has delivered a project funded by UK Aid to prevent plastic pollution, and is currently working in partnership with Kanifing municipal council on an EU-funded project to collect food waste from markets and train women gardeners to turn it into compost.
The charity said it welcomes all interested parties to join the Circular Economy Network, and will be promoting activities through a communications campaign. Please contact Ingrid Henrys, WasteAid’s Project Coordinator in The Gambia, via gambiaCEN@wasteaid.org.
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