PEOPLE'S PROGRESSIVE PARTY (PPP) MANIFESTO MOTTO:
VOX POPULI VOX DEI (Voice of the People is the voice of God)
SLOGAN: TESITO, ONE GAMBIA, ONE PEOPLE, and ONE NATION
Table of Contents
PART I: PREAMBLE
It is indeed a privilege to share our thoughts with you citizenry of our republic of the Gambia on our grand vision and mission to move our nation’s socio-economic agenda forward through delivering a prosperous economy and a secure modern republic.
We plan to build a stronger Gambia by building a stronger economy, stronger communities, a cleaner environment, and more modern infrastructure. Our priority is to ensure a more productive and diverse economy through lowering taxes, a leaner and efficient government, and a more productive business sector, that will deliver more jobs, higher wages, and better services for all the citizens of our country.
With a modernized economy and the right policies, Gambians can have a competitive manufacturing industry, a dynamic service sector, a modernized agricultural sector, and a value- added Mining sector. We can achieve vibrant small and medium enterprises creating better jobs for growth.
We will put in place an education policy that is both vital to individual and national development, and it will be a solemn priority of our government. We pledge to provide free education from pre- primary to tertiary level.
We will build education institutions of higher level within regions and raise the quality of education with a greater emphasis on vocational training skills development, better-trained teachers, and well-equipped facilities to prepare our youth for jobs in the future.
We will deepen our economic base by unlocking dead capital in rural areas and shall modernized agriculture to double the numbers of farmers by developing virgin lands and providing them with water infrastructure to secure a robust industry and food sustainability.
We will ensure that the social grants system is a means to lift many out of poverty, and particular emphasis shall be placed on supporting single mothers that raise children in difficulties. The state will ensure that every child’s opportunity is not hampered by economic conditions.
We will be an effective and active transformational government ensuring efficiency at every level of government so that every Gambian has a voice and can directly benefit from our developmental agenda. The waste of resources of the state and corruption shall be fought at fronts never seen with vigor and determination.
We believe in the fast potential of Gambians and in our people’s ability to continue moving the Gambia forward, to a bright future, in which all shall benefit, and shared prosperity.
There is and should be no limit to what we and our generation can achieve. It is our time to redirect the socio-economic agenda for ourselves and successive generations to come. Be the change you want to see, and let’s work together towards these noble ideals and put our party and candidature in reality by voting for fresh new ideas that can move our Gambia forward.
OUR IDEOLOGY
Social democracy is the ideology of the PPP. The citizens will be the object and target of our government. All policies and programs of the PPP government shall be meeting the maximum welfare and basic needs of the Gambian People. Our Governance will be all-inclusive to make sure no Gambian is left behind.
OUR STRATEGIC VISION
The PPP’s vision is a clean, just, stable and prosperous Gambia, in which the government and the Gambian people work in constructive partnership to achieve our common goals, objectives, and aspirations of the Gambia capable of sustaining the legitimate material expectations of this and the future generation. A nation at peace with itself and its neighbors, guided by the rule of law, democratic values, and respect for our collective and individual human rights under both domestic and international law.
OUR STRATEGIC MISSION
Is to protect and advance the interest and welfare of the Gambia and its people, and to restore the country’s rich heritage of tolerance, plurality, and comity. To empower the Gambian people with the legal rights and entitlements as well as the practical tools to live liberated, constructive, and fulfilled lives; to remedy current injustices; rectify, reform, and strengthen the social and state institutions; combat corruption, re-energize the stagnant and ailing economy and revitalize the entire polity so that the nation can organize for development; assured in the knowledge and strengthened by the belief that the PPP and the Gambian people can work in constructive partnership to achieve the common good.
OUR CORE PRINCIPLES AND BELIEFS
The core principles of the PPP are MULTIPARTY DEMOCRACY, RESPECT FOR RULE OF LAW, JUSTICE, HUMAN RIGHTS, GOOD GOVERNANCE, FREEDOM, and PROSPERITY.
The PPP believes that a less pervasive and intrusive government, is necessary in order to realize the creative energies of the Gambian people and to encourage wider social, economic and political inclusion. Our party intends to reduce the power of government and return to grassroots democracy.
We believe in the empowerment of Gambian Civil Society. To restore power to the people of the Gambian to enable them determine their own government and their country’s destiny, through the exercise of their inalienable and democratic rights. In an era, which has seen major democratic gains and enlargement, for which ordinary people have given decades of struggles and made austere sacrifices, logic demands that those gains are better protected and preserved by the same people whose efforts and sacrifices secured these achievements.
OUR PLEDGE TO THE GAMBIAN PEOPLE
Our pledge to the Gambian people is that;
- We the PPP shall at all times adhere to the constitution of the Gambia, practice good governance, develop a vibrant social system, combat, and arrest corruption, and dedicate ourselves to the protection of the rights of every human being.
- In the economic sphere, we the PPP pledge to undertake urgent consultations with civil society and all relevant stakeholders to construct a framework of constructive partnerships that shall produce a prosperous, vibrant, and strong economic base, built sustainable and relevant development.
- We pledge to engage the private sector, local communities, national and international development agencies as well as multilateral institutions, to design and implement a viable development strategy for the Gambia. A strategy that shall engender economic growth, deliver jobs, and provide investments for our social services, empower Gambians with the appropriate framework, the right environment, and the skills to pursue concepts, ideas, and models of development that best reflects their local realities and individual strengths.
PART 2 ACCELERATED DEVELOPMENT
Development Strategy
As a party and an alternative government, one major distinguishing feature that separates us from other parties is our proposed strategy for national development. The PPP government’s national development programs and projects shall be founded on the Basic and Primary Needs of the Gambian people.
Programs under the Basic Needs strategy shall aim primarily at arresting and then reversing the worsening conditions in the education, health, infrastructure, social welfare, agricultural and other vital sectors of society and the economic areas that have long-term social benefits; the important sectors which, unfortunately, have been neglected.
The PPP government shall redirect resources towards reversing the worsening social and economic indicators to alleviate poverty. The priority of the PPP government shall be the human condition and our development strategy shall be geared toward improving this condition. Our main concern as a government shall be to tackle poverty, provide security, combat corruption, improve health and infrastructure, and facilitate human development.
The rationale for a Basic Needs Development Strategy is self-evident. No meaningful socio- economic development can take place amid widespread poverty, mass illiteracy, hunger, and collective poor health.
Economic Prosperity
We the PPP shall:
- Put in place a medium-term framework for economic rehabilitation, restructuring, and accelerated self-sustained growth.
- Pursue policies that will ensure the equitable distribution of wealth; achieve and maintain macro-economic stability, through employment creation, interest rates, and price stabilization mechanisms.
- Progressively scale down the role of the public sector in those areas of the economy that can best be performed by the private sector, and establish a genuine private sector-led economy, through rational liberalization of the economic environment. Increase productivity, create jobs and make adequate investments in frontline services and other public services.
- PPP will be prioritizing and decentralizing development based on the potentials of each
- Build a stronger productive diverse economy by lowering taxes, and advocate for efficient smaller government by investing in E-Governance.
Agricultural Reform
- The agricultural sector remains the mainstay of the Gambian economy, providing for 80% of GDP, however recent years have registered a steady decline of this most important sector. The PPP government is committed to reversing the weak performance of the agricultural sector, by creating a genuine partnership between the government, Agro-business, and farmers. Urgent measures shall be adopted to address the inadequate system of seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides supplies; the inadequacy or unavailability of credit facilities to farmers; the lack of mechanized farming; the widespread practice of credit buying of agricultural products, and poor marketing arrangements.
- The core of our agricultural policy shall be the staged privatization of this sector, by encouraging the private sector to play a more active role in re-energizing this most important sector of the Gambian economy.
- We the PPP Shall:
- Increase rain-fed agricultural production of both food and cash crops, to provide food security and gainful employment.
- Intensify and diversify the crop mix, integrating this with enhanced livestock
- Expand and increase horticultural production by promoting and providing greater support for community gardening “naakkos”; encourage and empower smallholder farmers through the development of agricultural co-operatives and farmers clubs.
- Introduce and promote mechanized farming, to increase output and reduce the health hazards associated with labor-intensive farming.
- Establish mechanized agricultural plant centers in every region of the country, at which individual farmers, agricultural co-operatives, and farmers clubs can hire or loan tractors or combine harvesters.
- Develop and promote an efficient and cost-effective irrigated farming method to reduce dependence on rain-fed agriculture.
- Rationalize and expand the agricultural credit scheme by establishing an autonomous Agricultural Development Loan Company (ADLC), in partnership with the private
- Liberalize and open the fertilizer and crop seed markets to promote private sector participation in the importation and distribution of these products.
- Enhance post-harvest crop processing and marketing capacity and encourage the private sector to take over the processing and marketing of agricultural produce by introducing favorable tax incentives.
Fisheries
The PPP remains committed to full and rational exploitation of our fisheries resources to cater for both domestic consumption and to expand and increase the export potential of the sector. The PPP shall provide maximum investment support to the sector to promote industrial fisheries activities to enhance employment opportunities in the sector.
Policy in the fisheries sector will be aimed at integrating fisheries with other productive sectors such as the Tourism Industry and Trade.
We the PPP Shall:
- Exploit Fish stocks rationally and
- Promote greater private sector involvement in the fisheries
- Enhance the artisanal fisheries sector, through the provision of additional fisheries landing, preservation, marketing, and credit facilities.
- Address the seasonal fluctuations in fish
- Promote fisheries as an additional source of foreign exchange
- Conduct regular and effective surveillance, monitoring, and protection of our fisheries
- Encourage increased domestic consumption of fish supplies, as a principal source of protein for the local population.
Livestock
The Gambia is fortunate to be endowed with the adaptable trypanotolerant NDAMA CATTLE, which has proven to be a high-value meat producer. The PPP government shall introduce practical policies directed at increasing and intensifying livestock yield, increase production and rationalize the exploitation of our national cattle herd for domestic consumption and export.
We the PPP Shall:
- Introduce a Livestock Development Program (LDP), integrated into a national food self- self-sufficiency strategy.
- Ensure a sustainable off-take rate to meet domestic meat requirements for the general public, the Tourism industry, and also the export market.
Tourism
Tourism remains the fastest growing sector of the Gambian economy in terms of employment creation, infrastructural development, and overall contribution to GDP.
The PPP government shall develop a new comprehensive tourism strategy aimed at increasing the number of arrivals. Our government shall undertake an urgent structural reorganization of the entire industry; introduce innovative products; expand source markets, and provide attractive incentive packages to industry operators to re-energize the industry. A viable master plan to integrate Tourism with other sectors shall be introduced early in the PPP government.
Secondary sectors such as the horticulture, handicraft, livestock, and poultry sectors shall be purposefully integrated with Tourism to enhance employment opportunities, and to encourage domestic trade.
We the PPP Shall
- Introduce a new National Tourism Act and policy, which will recognize Tourism as a leading economic sector for development.
- Increase government capital investment in the Tourism sector, to raise industry
- Encourage more private investment in the tourism industry, by providing better tax incentives/concessions and by liberalizing the industry code to make it more attractive to domestic and foreign private investment.
- Upgrade the quality and standard of tourism products, services, and infrastructure to attract premium rate Tourists in addition to expanding the current source market.
- Embark on an aggressive promotional and marketing campaign to enhance Gambian Tourism internationally.
- Introduce and develop Eco-tourism, by an aggressive promotional campaign of Gambia’s reputation as a bird watchers’ paradise; upgrade, expand and develop wildlife sanctuaries, game reserves, and national parks.
- Disperse Tourism infrastructure throughout the country and outside the current envelope of the TDA, to equitably distribute the benefits of the industry to the larger population.
- Will fight leakages in tourism by discouraging the employment of expatriates in high skill positions and researchers from abroad. We will intervene to enhance the prevalence, quality, and competitiveness of locally owned and managed producers and suppliers to the tourism sector to lower leakages, and greater retention of tourism revenues in the local economy
Manufacturing Industries
The manufacturing sector remains a vehicle for accelerated development and overall economic growth. The sector retains a high capacity for enhanced employment creation and increases contribution to The Gambia’s GDP.
The PPP government shall introduce a viable Industrial Development Strategy for small and medium-size industries that will re-energize the manufacturing sector, encourage micro-economic activities, and increase manufacturing productivity. The central goal of our industrial regeneration strategy shall be the creation of opportunities for employment and trade.
Expansion of the processing, packaging, marketing, and distribution of agricultural produce and other natural resources for the domestic market as well as for export will be promoted both as a means of employment creation and for increased government revenue.
We the PPP shall:
- Introduce favorable income tax incentives for both foreign and domestic investments in the manufacturing sector.
- Introduce a generous export allowance regime on export revenue, and remove customs duties on imported capital goods and raw materials, in a bid to making the sector more attractive to investors.
- Promote manufacturing through the provision of other necessary fiscal
- Address the skills shortage in the manufacturing sector particularly in the technical, management, and marketing areas, by investing in training and education.
- Disperse manufacturing activities away from the urban areas and into the rural areas, to reduce rural-urban migration; equitably distribute the benefits of industrialization and develop the skills and technological capacity of the wider Gambian population.
Trade
In this era of international trade liberalization, the industry is poised to play a central role in the economic development of countries that take an active part in the emerging international economic order. The benefits are numerous and the PPP government shall strengthen domestic trade and industrial capacity, to capitalize on the gains that can be derived from both regional and global trading arrangements.
We the PPP shall:
- Make trade a priority in budgetary
- Formulate a medium-term Integrated Export Development
- Liberalize trade licensing policy to encourage and increase
- Encourage and facilitate greater trade between agricultural producers and other sector
- Involve the Gambia Chamber of Commerce to a greater degree, in the conception, formulation, and implementation of external trade policies.
- Review existing Free Trade Agreements to ensure that Gambia’s interest does not suffer unduly and enact anti-dumping legislation.
- Explore new trade links; review and extend current trading
- Support existing regional and global trading agreements, ensuring that the Gambia derives maximum benefits from those agreements.
Telecommunication and Technology Infrastructure
Many research conducted on the relationship between economic development and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure proves that countries that have developed ICT have improved economy than those that do not. The ICT infrastructure in the Gambia is extremely deficient due to a lack of liberalization and investment.
We the PPP Shall:
- Implement a policy to liberalize information technology immediately
- Increase funding to enhance our ICT infrastructure because we believe that it is the key to our socio-economic progress.
- Implement Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WIMAX) around the country to increase the nations’ ICT capability.
- Encourage competition amongst Service Providers to bring the cost of communication down
- Invest in computer science and network technology education in our schools
- Invest in telecommunication systems to enhance people’s lives
Science and Technology
Our country cannot depend solely on agriculture as our primary economic driver. We must invest in science and technology to bring our country out of poverty. Many research shows that science and technology are key factors in global economic progress. We must then rely on science and technology as one of our economic drivers.
We the PPP Shall:
- Invest in science and technology education
- Provide scholarship to those citizens who are interested in advanced science and technology education and are willing to reinvest into our beloved Gambia.
- Encourage entrepreneurship in technology by providing tax and policy incentives
Sports that makes our Nation Proud
PPP recognizes the importance of sports in society and for all age groups. Sports have a direct relation to fitness, good health, and productivity. The Gambia has not fared well in sports and needs to invest in the promotion of sports in an organized manner.
We the PPP shall promote all sports – traditional and modern.
- More funds will be allocated to sports, and we will encourage the Regions to fully discharge their responsibility in the promotion of sports.
- Steps would be taken to inculcate a culture of sports at the school level by arranging sports facilities and training needs for promoting a healthy lifestyle and making sports a compulsory part of the school curriculum.
- Launch a ‘National Sports Talent Search System’, so that extraordinary sporting talent is identified at a very young age. Such promising boys and girls will be selected for special
- training. An attractive career path needs to be planned for sportspersons providing security of career through jobs in government, and private sector.
- Establish sports academies across the
- A special scheme would be devised for sportspersons to ensure social
- Encourage business houses to patronize sports and
PART 3: BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS AND NEEDS
Restore Democratic Rights and Freedoms
The goal of the PPP is to restore democracy to the Gambia and its citizens and reinstate the government of the people by the people. Ensure that the institutions of state and society are liberated and made responsive and capable of sustaining the legitimate aspirations of the Gambian people. To empower, protect and guarantee the fundamental rights of Gambian Civil Society.
The commitment of the PPP is to reclaim our democratic heritage; revitalize and strengthen the democratic institutions of state and society, to consolidate our freedoms and legal entitlements. Urgent priority will be given to the empowerment of the Civil Society to ensure effective participation of all citizens in the political, economic, and cultural life of the Gambia. Our Party shall guarantee freedom from political persecution, human rights abuse, and arbitrary rule.
We the PPP shall:
- Halt and take effective measures to prevent the continuing erosion of democratic
- Reform and strengthen legal, democratic, human rights, and other state
- Review and strengthen laws and institutions, which promote and protect
- Strengthen and uphold the independence of the judiciary and restore and ensure respect for the decisions and rulings of our courts.
- Reform and strengthen the office of the States’ Ombudsman so that it can better perform its role as a civil and administrative arbitrator.
- Review, reform and reinstate the independence and impartiality of the Independent Electoral Commission, so that it can conduct free and fair elections.
- Reinstate and improve Parliamentary Democracy, and ensure that supremacy of Parliament is respected.
- Build national capacity for an empowering process, in which government, parliament, the judiciary, and civil society will effectively and freely contribute to the democratic
- Encourage Civil Society to take a more active and practical role in the conduct and processes of national and local elections.
- Encourage and facilitate ongoing monitoring and censuring of State institutions, government, and individuals, for breaches of human rights law and democratic practices, by a vibrant and enlightened Civil Society.
Deliver a Modern Universal Health Care System
The goal of the PPP is to improve access and provide modern quality healthcare for all Gambians; to intensify the fight against communicable diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis and to progressively reduce the incidences of infant, childhood, and maternal mortality. In partnership with the international community, the PPP government shall vigorously combat HIV/AIDS nationally and purposefully contribute towards international efforts in the fight against any novel pandemic ravaging the African Continent and the world.
The commitment of the PPP government is to invest a greater proportion of the country’s resources in the health sector to ensure that a quality healthcare service is available to all Gambians, especially to the majority rural poor. Priority shall be given to the provision of basic drugs, modern medical facilities, and adequately trained primary healthcare personnel. The PPP government shall elaborate national health policies and design strategies that will deliver healthcare adequate services, founded on the principle of “free basic healthcare for all at the point of need”.
We the PPP shall:
- Increase spending on the health sector recurrent budget
- Improve; expand and make the delivery of drugs for a chest infection, malaria, and other communicable diseases available free of charge at the local/community level, by reversing the creeping privatization of basic drug prescription services.
- Improve and increase Community based primary healthcare initiatives by organizing the Community Health Action Program (CHAPS) that will identify and priorities the healthcare requirements of local communities.
- Expand and improve the primary healthcare facility network, to bring modern healthcare provision closer to the community through the upgrading of Primary Healthcare Centers and the building of new health Centers in under-served areas.
- Improve hospital infrastructure substantially, further upgrade Bansang hospital; reconstruct and refurbish the already dilapidated Farafene hospital; upgrade and expand the Edward Francis Teaching Hospital, transforming them into adequate referral hospitals able to meet the healthcare needs of expanding local communities.
- Construct a modern fully equip and adequately manned referral hospital in Basse that will provide modern medical services to the people of Upper River Division and the surrounding catchment areas.
- Implement Safe Motherhood Programs (SMP) in all These programs will involve improved equipment availability; improve transport facilities, improved communication systems, thereby improving referral systems and clinical services.
- Design and implement practical policies to reduce infant, childhood, and maternal mortality rates; total fertility, and population growth rates.
- Develop and adopt a national strategy for combating HIV/AIDS, which will include the introduction of free anti-retroviral drugs, to give HIV/AIDS sufferers a decent chance in
- Recruit, train and maintain high caliber healthcare workers; employ retired health workers with experience to mentor young healthcare cadres and continue to expand intakes of all cadres of health workers.
Promote Quality Education
The goal of the PPP is to advance the development of an education system that responds to the nation’s socio-economic needs; to equip Gambians of all ages for a life in the modern world with the skills and knowledge to lead respectable, independent lives, imbued with sound moral values and social responsibility.
The commitment of the PPP government is to increase budgetary allocation for free primary and secondary education for all, to raise the literacy rate; substantially raise the intake of girls in line with our gender equality policy; improve quality and increase access to primary, secondary, and tertiary education.
We the PPP shall:
- Increase the allocation of resources for education, to enhance the standard, quality, and diversity of education.
- Evaluate, assess and rationalize the national curriculum to make it more relevant to our socio-economic and development requirement.
- Substantially increase primary and secondary school enrollment, with special emphasis given to increasing enrollment of girls.
- Develop and provide equal facilities for boys and girls to achieve maximum attendance for
- Completely remove barriers to primary and secondary education such as school fees – including book and implement fees-, and uniforms.
- Encourage the participation of local communities in the development and day to day management of schools in their localities, to engender a sense of ownership of the education and training processes of their children.
- Improve teachers’ and school administrators’ conditions of service and provide upgrading opportunities that match their experience and responsibilities.
- Improve arrangements for paying teachers and provide incentives and motivation for retention of primary and secondary school teachers.
- Train more indigenous teachers for both primary and secondary education
- Encourage the meaningful participation of the National Teachers Union in the design and implementation of educational policies and strategies.
- Reorient university education in the Gambia towards Development Education, Training and Research.
- Rationalize the University curriculum towards the production of job creators rather than job seekers.
- Upgrade, expand and strengthen the capacity of the University to take a leading role in all sectors of the national development processes.
- Create a separate department responsible for Higher Education, Training, and
- Decentralize and disperse the constituent colleges of the university throughout the country to encourage them to organically grow into autonomous colleges whilst acting in
- Encourage the establishment of specialist private Institutions of Higher
- Remove political interference in University affairs, thereby giving the institution academic and intellectual freedom and independence.
- Encourage the formation of an independent, progressive, and responsible National Students’ Union that will represent the interests of students.
Freedom of Information and Media
The media is an integral part of our national sovereignty. Not only does it help inform and entertain our citizens, but also helps keep the government and civil service accountable. To have a vibrant democracy, there must be free media. We understand the need for the government to protect national security. However, we also believe in the freedom of the press and the protection of the rights to information.
We the PPP shall:
- Guarantee the rights to free media and press
- Work with the media in a partnership to ensure their freedom while balancing the right to free press and information, and the protection of national security.
- Challenge the media to take on the role of public service
- Challenge the media to be the eye of the population by reporting abuses from civil servants and our national defense personnel
- Challenge our media to operate ethically and responsibly
Resolve the Energy Crisis
The commitment of the PPP is to conclusively resolve the electricity crises, improve and expand generating capacity, transmission, and distribution facilities to urban settlements and industrial establishments. Design and implement a feasible rural electrification program that shall integrate electricity grids into the most cost-effective and sustainable system.
We the PPP shall:
- Establish a Taskforce, comprising the government and the private sector, supported by eminent local and international experts, to design and implement a realistic and cost- effective solution to the electricity problem.
- Explore in partnership with the private sector, alternative or complementary sources of electricity, including solar-energy, hydro-electricity, and wind-turbine generation.
- Liberalize the importation of fuels and petroleum products market, to give the private sector greater flexibility to respond to cost and foreign exchange fluctuations.
- Explore renewable energy sources for power generation that is safe and
- Re-establish private sector control of the importation, marketing, and distribution of
- Upgrade power distribution networks throughout the
Build relevant Transport and communication Systems
The commitment of the PPP is to make an adequate and rational investment in a National Infrastructure Development Program generally that is relevant and dictated by our overall national development strategy, a strategy that places emphasis and priority on addressing our basic human development needs.
In the area of transport and telecommunication, we shall open up those parts of the country that are still inaccessible because of the lack of a proper road network. River Transport services shall be enhanced, by utilizing the vacuum left idle by this government’s inability to generate coherent policy to address the weakness in this important sector. Air transportation shall be factored into the planned integrated transport network, particularly concerning Tourism and Trade with the outside world. Priority shall also be given to building an efficient and cost-effective telecommunication system.
The PPP government shall design a well-thought-out and cost-effective integrated transportation network, including river and road transportation, supported by an efficient, effective, and affordable telecommunication system that will link-up the whole country, thereby facilitating easy access throughout the length and breadth of the country.
We the PPP shall:
- Establish an Integrated Transport Development Agency, which will undertake a review of transportation policies and develop a viable and cost-effective integrated network.
- Review current road-building projects to access their relevance and significance to our socio-economic and developmental needs.
- Pursue with vigor, a Feeder Roads Construction Program in the rural areas that will facilitate the easy movement of persons and goods, opening up these areas for economic expansion and other services.
- Upgrade to high standards, the roads in Banjul, and the urban areas outside the
- Upgrade the Trans-Gambia transport corridor to facilitate easy movement of goods, promote trade and encourage commerce with neighboring countries.
- Embark on a nationwide road rehabilitation and maintenance program, to upgrade the quality and conserve the state of roads in the country.
- Work with local governments to ensure the viability of all secondary roads
- Reform and strengthen the Public Transportation Services, through increased investment and proper Facilitate the acquisition of more buses for both urban transportation and rural commuter services.
- Establish satellite bus terminals in the provinces to enhance rural commuter services, create rural jobs and encourage enterprise.
- Introduce a regulatory framework for road safety, accident prevention, and investigation, to reduce road accidents and fatalities.
- Explore, in partnership with the private sector, policies that will generate private investment initiatives for enhanced ferry services, and to develop river transport operations as an alternative to road haulage.
- Explore the possibility of replacing our aging ferries with a four-lane bridge that will connect Banjul and Barra
- Purposefully activate and enhance the profile and remit of the dormant National Maritime Administration Unit, as the controlling agency to oversee private sector intervention in river transport operations.
- Reactivate and reconstitute the Gambia Airways, as a joint venture with the private
- Set up a regulatory framework for the airline industry that prevents monopolistic and other anti-competitive practices.
- Rehabilitate and conserve the newly reconstructed terminal building and repair the runway at the Banjul International Airport at Yundum, both of which have fallen into disrepair, due mainly, to shoddy construction work.
Food Security for All
The goal of the PPP is to achieve food security for all Gambian households within a reasonable time frame, by making it a central goal of the PPP government. We shall lay the foundation for food security, by introducing and promoting among other measures, the use of alternative staple food crops that have equally wholesome values as rice. To enable the private sector to take a lead role in the production; processing; marketing; distribution, as well as provision of credit facilities, for subsistent agriculture.
The commitment of the PPP government is to make national Food Self-sufficiency a number one priority. We shall conduct research, consult with both national and international stakeholders, including the private sector, and caused the formulation of a National Food Self-sufficiency Strategy that will ensure that food security becomes a reality within ten years. Efforts will be concentrated in facilitating increased productivity of staple food crops by smallholder farmers.
We the PPP shall:
- Promote and facilitate all-year-round rice cultivation, by extending and increasing the area of irrigated land under rice cultivation, to increase the rice yield for domestic consumption
- Facilitate and diversify smallholder agricultural production to increase productivity in staple food crops and introduce the range of alternative staple foods available to the
- Establish a Staple Food Productivity Task Force for the smallholder sector to monitor and appraise productivity.
- Expand agricultural credit facilities and amount of loans to smallholder
- Guarantee a consistent yearly increase in the production of rice and other staples to meet domestic consumption requirements.
- Encourage and enable the private sector to become more involved in the production, processing, and distribution of rice and other staple crops.
Protect the Environment
The goal of the PPP is to protect our natural and human environment from pollution, degradation, and depletion, and to maintain a balance Eco-system through the sustainable use of the country’s natural resources. To maintain and preserve the integrity of our natural environment, so that future generations of Gambians can inherit a viable environment.
The commitment of the PPP government shall be to prevent the escalating damage to the environment and ensure that environmental protection is built into every economic decision and planning and in all areas of government policy.
We the PPP shall:
- Review, amend and reinforce the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), to buttress its provisions and make it more effective in preventing and combating environmental degradation.
- Ensure public awareness of the provisions of NEMA, and the existing systems for environmental protection, through a public awareness campaign, to encourage and facilitate compliance with Environmental Protection Legislation and processes.
- Introduce environmental education into the national curriculum and school
- Strengthen regulations on industrial pollution and intensify monitoring of Environmental pollution.
- Clampdown on the widespread practice of fly-tipping and illegal refuse to dump in makeshift landfills, in and around residential areas, which contaminates our urban
- Reinforce legal obligations on local governments and state institutions, to make environmental considerations a central part of policy and practice.
- Impose stiffer penalties on individuals and other legal entities for the willful and or negligent breach of environmental legislation and or best practices.
- Introduce improved Environmental Audit, Appraisal, and Impact Assessment guidelines that are less cumbersome and less bureaucratic.
- Establish an Environmental Management Fund to support environmental
- Establish an Environmental Protection Constabulary that will monitor and report breaches of Environmental Protection Regulations.
- Integrate Forestry, Fisheries, and Land conservation policies and practices to develop a more holistic approach to conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.
- Create an enabling framework to involve local communities, the private sector, and public enterprises in environmental protection, management, and conservation.
- Ensure compliance with, Banjul Declaration, International Environmental Conventions and other international instruments and frameworks that facilitate environmental
Water Safety
- Expand and improve the water distribution network to urban settlements and provincial urban centers.
- Increase and expand the village-well digging and bore-hole schemes, extend and increase coverage of piped-borne water supplies beyond the urban areas.
- Improve rainwater harvesting for drinking and irrigation
- Embark on water recycling and reservoir projects at strategic locations in the country that will hold adequate supplies for use in times of shortage and irrigation
Ensure Gender Equality & Equity
The goal of the PPP is to meaningfully integrate women into the mainstream of Gambian social, economic, and political life, and to ensure equality for all women before the law, in employment, social welfare, and other provision of public services. To rectify the genderdisparity through empowering women with enhanced legal rights and entitlements, torecognize their special position in the development process. The commitment of the PPP is to make gender equality and equity a reality and to harness and focus the rich potential of our women to the course of national development.
We the PPP shall:
- Purposefully incorporate gender equality in the National Constitution and other
- Review, amend and strengthen current legislation that purports to legally ensure gender equality
- Review, expurgate and advocate against all oppressive traditional practices, and customary laws that perpetuate gender discrimination, to bring it in line with our commitment to gender equality and equity.
- Ensure gender equality and equity before national laws and eliminate all forms of Gender- based violence against women and girls.
- Elaborate gender-sensitive policies that will ensure mainstreaming of gender in all aspects of national development.
- Facilitate the promotion of women in all areas of public life, not just in politics, but especially in commerce and other public enterprises.
- Take affirmative action and train women to take up decision-making positions in society and the state.
- Reinforce the mobilization campaign to enroll and retain more girls in
- Create an enabling environment for Non-governmental and Civil Society Organizations dealing in gender matters, and facilitate creative linkages and networks among these
Harness the Potentials of Our Youths
The goal of the PPP is to tap the enormous potential of our youth population and harness it for national development. In consultation with Youth Organizations and other stakeholders, create new avenues to meaningfully include the Youth population in social, economic, and political reform programs aimed at preparing them for future leadership.
We the PPP shall:
- Reactivate the National Youth Bureau and the National Youth Conference and Festival, which were designed to integrate the youth into the national development process.
- Reactivate and strengthen the Youth Service Scheme, to take a lead role in the implementation, coordination, and evaluation of youth programs.
- Encourage Civil Society Organizations and NGOs working in the field of youth development to be more proactive in defining the youth agenda.
- Establish more Vocational Training Centers, to assist young people to acquire skills for gainful direct and self-employment.
- Launch nation-wide programs to encourage training in technology and computer skills for the youth.
- Increase training and skills development opportunities, by establishing an integrated National Mentoring and Apprenticeship Scheme.
- Introduce and strengthen Family Life Education programs, to promote a healthy lifestyle for the youth and establish a campaign of zero tolerance to drugs, alcohol, and unsafe
- Introduce a Youth Business Loan Credit Scheme, to assist and encourage young people to develop small-scale enterprises.
- Provide more resources to build more sporting and recreational facilities, and encourage more private sector investment in youth activities.
- Promote and facilitate greater youth participation in the cultural life of the
PART 4: GOVERNANCE
Reform
- Restore democratic governance; bearing in mind the truism that democratic governance of itself will not necessarily deliver development goals or fill the stomach of the impoverished Gambian, the PPP government shall restore democratic governance and provide a conducive environment in which citizens can pursue their legitimate political, social and economic aspirations– a system of governance that will empower Gambians with the rights, the entitlements, and the freedoms to pursue development goals.
- Reform the structures and institutions of state and society; to make them more responsive to the material needs and legitimate expectations of the Gambian people, and to foster a sense of community whilst providing the opportunity for individual progress and advancement within that community
- Reinstate confidence and belief in our ability to organize for development, by relying primarily on our strengths and resources; facilitating regular consultations with Civil Society; creating strategic linkages with relevant stakeholders including the private sector, in the design and implementation of national development strategies and policies, in responsible partnership and solidarity with the international community
Term Limits
No one person has all the answers. Our perception fades with time. What we believe to be the solution today may not be the solution tomorrow. That is why we believe that term limit is important in governance. We the PPP promise to establish a term limit for the Gambian presidency. We believe that a term limit of two five-year services is vital to maintaining public trust in our democratic system. That is why the PPP shall take the following constitutional referendum to the public:
No president shall serve more than two consecutive 5-year terms. We believe that this is fair in that it fulfills the need for a term limit and providing a sitting president a choice to complete pending and important policies or programs.
Election Reform
For democracy to work, there must be in place a good electoral system. We cannot claim to be a democracy when our elections do not mean anything in the eyes of the ruling government. We cannot claim to be a democracy when the election commission can decide in favor of the ruling party every time. We cannot claim to be a democracy when the voices of our citizens are silenced through unfair election processes, intimidation, and theft. We shall not stand by and let this phenomenon continue.
We the PPP shall:
- We shall reform the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to ensure its autonomy
- We shall guarantee free and fair elections by making sure citizens go to the polls to cast their votes without fear of intimidation
- We shall make sure that results are announced immediately after being counted
- All parties shall have equal campaign airtime unless carried by other media outlet
- Every Gambian, upon reaching the voting age before or on the day of the election shall have the right to vote.
- The voting franchise shall be open to all Gambians within and outside of the
Social Justice
A fundamental underlying principle of our development strategy has been and remains the attainment of economic growth with equity and welfare. Our efforts therefore will be directed not merely to creating economic progress for its own sake, but to ensure the attainment of social justice through the equitable distribution of the wealth and opportunities generated through that progress and to improve the living standards of ALL our people.
Civil Society Empowerment shall be the means and the method through which social justice will be delivered. The PPP shall empower local communities legally and practically to advocate their collective and individual rights within a fair, just, and democratic system.
A fully inclusive social, economic, and political system where every man, woman, and child shall have the right to participate and the entitlement to enjoy the fruits of the nations’ economic progress will be our mission in government. A system of government premised on the desire to ensure equality, justice, and democracy for all will be our guiding principle. To create a society in which a high level of individual and collective material and moral progress of the Gambian citizen, will be the yardstick by which the PPP government shall measure its success.
Devolve power to Local Communities
The goal of the PPP is to devolve power to the regions and give local communities, greater control over their governance and economic resources. To empower local communities with the tools to design, implement and manage their development. And to make local government and communities, the central players in the fight against poverty
The commitment of the PPP is to reform the local government system and to restore local democracy. Re-energize regional political and economic institutions and allow a greater degree of autonomy in the management of local issues. We shall encourage greater and broader civil society participation in local decision-making to give disadvantaged and marginalized communities a greater stake in the development process.
We the PPP shall:
- Review the Local Government Act 2002, which disenfranchised local communities from electing local leadership, thereby reversing democratic gains
- Reform the local government system and devolve greater power to local communities, in consultation with all stakeholders.
- Build capacity at the community and local level, for the management and maintenance of reform programs and economic projects.
- Increase the autonomy of local councils to design, implement and manage local economic
- Finance local infrastructure projects, which create an alternative to traditional employment opportunities such as farming.
Reform and Strengthen the Civil Service
The goal of the PPP is to create an efficient, responsive and impartial civil service, run by competent, qualified, knowledgeable, and professional Gambians; free from nepotism, political patronage, and other forms of corruption; A Civil Service that inspires confidence and is responsive to the legitimate expectations and needs of every citizen. The PPP government shall build a Civil Service, capable of delivering the core programs and policies of our government or any other government for that matter, an apolitical non-ideological affiliation, free from political interference and economic pressures.
We the PPP shall:
- Conduct a strategic functional review of all government ministries, departments, and agencies, to rationalize their functions, operations, and requirements, vis-à-vis our development agenda and programs.
- Investigate, identify and eliminate waste, unnecessary overlaps, and duplications of responsibilities between and among government ministries, departments, and agencies.
- Reform, reorganize, reconstitute, restructure or re-deploy failed or failing government departments and agencies, and retire superfluous ministries to make better allocation and utilization of resources and systems of accountability.
- Initiate a Jobs Evaluation Program, to remove existing salary and grading anomalies in the Civil Service, which accounts for low motivation, poor performance, and staff retention.
- Undertake a comprehensive Needs Assessment and Evaluation Program, to identify weaknesses, implement reforms and properly target resources and training requirements, and build adequate capacity for a professional, transparent, responsive, and effective civil
- Introduce an autonomous Ministerial position, with specific responsibilities for Poverty Eradication and Civil Society Empowerment.
- Through reform of the civil service, to embark on a comprehensive reform of the parastatal sector, to clarify their roles, functions, and relationships with the central government, particular line ministries, and the wider public and other stakeholders.
- Continue to implement a program of Public Service Reforms, to produce a more holistic approach to public service provision.
Protect the Independence of the Judiciary
The goal of the PPP is to reinstate an active, efficient, and independent judiciary, capable of commanding the respect and confidence of all citizens and free from political and executive branch interference. Restore and advance the rule of law, promote, protect and encourage the maintenance of a human rights ethos, by strengthening and guarding the independence and impartiality of the judiciary. The commitment of the PPP is to reform, equip and strengthen the Judiciary and to insulate it from political influence and graft. To expurgate from the national Constitution all laws that infringe the rights of citizens and contradicts the spirit of our basic laws. To repeal all repugnant statutes and other laws enacted for selfish political expediency.
We the PPP shall:
- Review, amend and enact laws relating to the jurisdiction and procedures of the courts, to restore the independence of the judiciary.
- Review reform and update our substantive law, to bring it into the 21st century and to make it more responsive to our social values and current realities.
- Encourage greater judicial activism to keep pace with the ever-expanding frontiers of human activities and enterprises, and to develop our common law.
- Restore respect and confidence in the independence of the judiciary, through civic awareness and education campaigns.
- Review and rationalize the appointment procedure for senior judges and other judicial officers, to ensure impartiality and immunity from political interference.
- Strengthen the judiciary through the provision of infrastructure, equipment, and qualified
- Review the operation of our criminal justice system, to ensure a more effective legal response to crime and criminality.
- Provide adequate legal services in the rural areas, to secure the guaranteed right of access to justice for all citizens.
Create Employment Opportunities
The goal of the PPP is to increase direct employment opportunities for the growing unemployed, as well as actively encourage informal sector employment. To reform and update the existing labor code of practice and the Injuries Compensation Act; ensure industrial peace and harmony; provide better skills training for workers and deliver social justice in labor relations; fund technology-based skill programs to build a twenty-first-century workforce. The commitment of the PPP is to collaborate with the private sector, and foreign investors, to introduce a package of investment programs that will re-energize the productive sectors of the Gambian economy. Pursue policies, which create the economic conditions conducive for increasing direct employment opportunities. And encourage self-employment through the provision of business and technology-based skills training programs, to provide manpower support for small business start-ups.
We the PPP shall:
- Encourage higher productivity in the economy as a basis for increasing employment
- Encourage small-businesses start-ups, as a springboard for greater employment
- Provide formal skills and vocational employment
- Introduce and promote formal apprenticeship and mentoring schemes, as an alternative or a complementary means of skills training.
- Review, strengthen and expand the role of the Indigenous Business Advisory Service (IBAS), and give it new responsibilities.
- Review the Injuries Compensation Act of (1987) and other Industrial Relations legislation, to make them more relevant to current realities in labor and employment relationship.
- Establish a system for the collection, processing, and dissemination of labor statistics and information regarding job vacancies and placement opportunities, -a “jobs center”.
- Establish an Industrial/Employment Tribunal System in pursuit of industrial democracy, and to arbitrate contentious employment matters.
- Reactivate and strengthen the role of the Confederation of Gambian Workers Union, as the overall voice of Gambia’s Trade Unions.
- Reactivate the Tripartite mechanism, in which government, employers, and employees consult with each other, to reach decisions concerning labor and industrial matters.
Fight Crime and the Causes of Crime
The goal of the PPP is to maintain law and order; be tough on crime and the causes of crime; apprehend, try and sentence criminal offenders expeditiously. To provide a safe and secure environment, free from crime and the effects of crime. Special attention shall be given to the
investigation of so-called white-collar crimes and cases of official corruption, to eliminate the practice and restore integrity to the operation of government. The commitment of the PPP is to allocate adequate resources for the Police Service to fight crime and guarantee safety and security in our streets and our homes. Initiate a policy of zero tolerance for gun and other violent crimes, and involve the community in crime prevention programs. Review and enact law and order legislation, and reform the criminal justice system in a bid to strengthen the crime prevention and detection regime. The desire to engage in criminal behavior is very often the result of poverty and the effects of social deprivation and exclusion. Even as the PPP government tackles poverty and endeavor to address the problems of socio-structural exclusion, it will not fail to recommend stiff punishment for deliberate criminal behavior.
We the PPP shall:
- Allocate greater resources and logistical capability for policing operations, such as vehicles, communication equipment, and criminal intelligence and data management
- Recruit and train more capable Policemen and
- Establish a Police Public Liaison Office, staffed in part by civilians, as well as an Independent Police Complaint Authority that will be tasked with improving relations with the general public.
- Review the current pay and condition of employment for the Policing
- Encourage more qualified persons and graduates to enlist in the service, through a special selection procedure.
- Strengthen rural Policing and increase police presence in all parts of the
- Strengthen the Criminal Justice System making it more efficient in the fight against
- Review the bail and sentencing regimes to make them more of a deterrent to crime.
- Reorient the Police Service towards political impartiality and neutrality and introduce a new Policing ethos that stresses loyalty to the nation above all else.
Combat Corruption
We the PPP Shall:
- Implement a strict anti-corruption policy to combat corruption at the source
- Create an independent Government Accountability Agency (GAA) that shall oversee all government agencies to ensure We believe to have true accountability there must be impartiality. That is why we shall make sure a none-Gambian heads the GAA. The responsibility of the GAA shall be to conduct a biannual audit of all government departments and agencies to make sure they are accountable and corruption-free.
- Implement strict regulations that carry severe consequence for those accused and found guilty of corruption
- Implement a policy to bring the office of the presidency into transparency and accountability, because we believe that we have to hold ourselves accountable before we can hold others accountable.
- Have zero tolerance for corruption at any
- Establish an electronic government system at all levels of the civil service
- Eliminate the dependence on paper forms and create a database system that is accountable, layered, and fraud resistance
Restore Pride and Confidence in our Security Services
The goal of the PPP is to reform, reorient and enhance the profile and capacity of the country’s security services; build a modern, professional and confident security service, capable of defending the independence and territorial integrity of the nation, the Constitution, and the lives and livelihood of every citizen. The Gambia National Army (GNA) and the State Intelligent Service (SIS), will be entrusted not only with protecting the security and safety of the country and population but will also be utilized more effectively as agents of development. The commitment of the PPP is to depoliticize the GNA, the SIS, and the Police, allowing them to concentrate on their professional role as defenders of the people, the state, and its heritage. Maintain a disciplined, well-trained, and adequately equipped Security forces capable and competent in promoting national and international peace and stability.
The GAMBIA NATIONAL ARMY
The PPP government established the GNA to defend the State, the Citizen, and the Constitution. The next PPP government shall restore the GNA to its higher calling and the ideals that underpinned its formation. We shall reinstate national pride in the gallantry of our forces and respect for their legitimate role in the nation and international duties.
We the PPP shall:
- Train, equip, and deploy the GNA to better perform its legitimate role of safeguarding the independence and territorial integrity of the Gambia and the rights and freedom of every
- Support and commit the GNA to take a key role in various international peacekeeping missions, especially within ECOMOG and beyond, thus increasing their confidence and
- Prepare the GNA to assist civilian authorities to implement contingency plans in the event of national emergencies and disaster situations.
- Review the pay and condition of service of armed personnel and improve their general welfare. For example, we will introduce a house-ownership scheme for Army Personnel.
- Introduce a secondment program, which shall see Army personnel deployed in other service areas within the civil service and the public sector, to gain a more rounded training and understanding of the operations of government.
The STATE INTELLIGENCE SERVICES (SIS)
The predecessor to the NIA, the National Security Service (NSS), was established by the PPP government with a clearly defined role, which is to collect, collate, analyze and act on intelligence, relating to actual or possible threats to national security. A future PPP government shall redefine the role of the SIS, to a role more in keeping with national security issues.
We the PPP shall:
- Remove the SIS under the direct authority of the State President, and bring it and its operations within the ambit of the National Constitution and under special parliamentary
- Retrain and equip the SIS to perform its legally defined task and
- Encourage reasonable openness and public accountability, without compromising the delicate nature of its intelligence-gathering role.
Promote Cultural Harmony
The goal of the PPP is to strengthen national unity and promote the primacy of our common Gambian identity. Inculcate the philosophy of “strength in cultural diversity” among the various
Gambian tribal and linguistic groupings. The commitment of the PPP is to instill a greater sense of nationhood whilst at the same time promote greater awareness and appreciation of our diverse cultural heritage, through educational and civic awareness programs. Actively promote cultural expressions in dance, music, and the arts. Instill a sense of national and cultural pride in our youths.
We the PPP shall:
- Promote and celebrate cultural pluralism, equality and tolerance, and freedom of worship
- Develop a national ethos of patriotism and pride in our Gambian identity
- Remove tribal bias in political and civil service appointments
- Promote and enhance the teaching of Gambian history in the early stages of schooling
- Enhance the teaching of drama, music, and arts in all tiers of our educational system
- Organize and promote Cultural Festivals that showcases the rich diversity of Gambia’s cultural heritage
- Establish National Civic Award for contribution to cultural harmony and promotion of Gambian cultural enterprise
- Engender and encourage pride among young Gambians in Gambia’s rich and diverse
Reconcile the Nation
The goal of the PPP is to bring about national reconciliation and comity, through a process of remedying historical and current injustices. Engender tolerance, promote good neighborliness and establish an egalitarian society based on social, political, and economic equality and equity. The commitment of the PPP is to heal the nation, pay recompense for the excesses and brutality of military rule, purge the country of the consequences of despotic and undemocratic rule and restore social justice, respect for human rights norms; the rule of law, and constitutional governance.
PART 5: FOREIGN RELATIONS
Foreign Relations
The PPP government shall complement its robust domestic programs, with a Foreign policy that emphasizes strict compliance with our international obligations as a responsible member of the international community. Our government shall subscribe in principle and practically endeavor to advance global peace and stability; uphold and defend the sovereign equality and territorial integrity of states; support the self-determination of all peoples, and encourage international co- operation for economic and social development. Our Foreign policy shall be guided by respect for international law and acceptable standards of behavior.
Political Foreign Policy
Senegal
Particular attention shall be given to rebuilding and strengthening the Special Relationship that exists between the Gambia and Senegal. The PPP government shall concretize the bilateral relationship through meaningful exchanges, collaborations, and co-operation between the two nations. Genuine political, economic, and cultural co-operation shall be resumed in earnest and the Special Relationship between the two countries shall be further cemented, both within existing sub-regional multilateral frameworks, but especially at the bilateral level. The PPP believes in the “Two-State One People” doctrine that is the basis of our sociopolitical and economic reality. The PPP shall work to promote the benefits of this relationship and to reinforce the Sene-Gambian heritage and our inseparable destiny.
The African Union (AU)
The PPP government shall adhere to and promote the ideals and objectives enshrined in the Charter of the African Union (AU), which we consider as an effective instrument for strengthening African solidarity; and for the ultimate unification of the African Continent. Our government shall give unequivocal support to The 1999 Sirta Declaration, adopted at the 4th Extra-ordinary Session of the Assembly of African Heads of States held in Libya, and take all necessary steps to advance the current processes aimed at fostering closer political union of Africa.
The United Nations (UN)
The PPP government shall take every opportunity to enable the Gambia to play a positive role in the United Nations (UN), which it considers as the most appropriate forum to discuss and resolve issues of international peace and security. Our government shall also actively support the various Agencies of the UN, in their various efforts aimed at ensuring freedom from poverty, international economic justice, and global Prosperity. In particular, the PPP shall provide support for the work of the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights (UNHCRC) in its efforts to defend the dignity and freedoms of every man, woman, and child. And contribute meaningfully in the efforts of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), to promote equitable international trade and advocate justice in the New International Economic Order, in its bid to eradicate poverty and ensure social justice for all.
The World Bank and The IMF
The PPP government shall work diligently with the IMF and the World Bank in designing a framework that shall facilitate the economic recovery of the Gambia. We shall strive to reduce and eventually eliminate the country’s debt burden through sound economic policy, good governance, and shared interest with the IMF and the World Bank. We shall negotiate with the two organizations to find an effective and sound solution to the mammoth and irresponsible debt burden the government incurred on our country.
The Commonwealth
Similarly, the PPP government shall make a full and positive contribution in the pursuit of the ideals of the Commonwealth. As a member country of this historic body of Nations, the PPP government shall promote, as well as ensure that the Gambia adheres strictly to the principles of the Harare Declaration and the Latimer House Guidelines, both of which we consider as effective instruments for the attainment of genuine democratic governance, human rights, and social justice.
Other International Organizations
As a party, we declare our commitment to international solidarity and co-operation. And as a government, the PPP shall seek every opportunity to promote Afro-Arab co-operation, per the aspirations of the Islamic Ummah. We shall facilitate South/South co-operation as well as encourage North/South dialogue to establish the Gambia’s and Africa’s place in International relations.
Economic Foreign Policy
Full and unequivocal support shall be given to the processes of African economic integration. In particular, the PPP government shall seek a leading role in the ongoing efforts at forging closer sub-regional, regional and global economic integration under the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the NEPAD.
Bilateral Economic Cooperation
The PPP government shall consolidate, develop and expand the economic ties between those countries that constitute our immediate pivotal area, namely Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Mauritania, and Mali. In this effort, particular attention shall be given to creating a Sene- Gambian Economic Zone (SGEZ) that is based on existing economic protocols as well as on new and strengthened agreements.
Sub-Regional Economic Cooperation
Within the sub-regional context, the PPP government shall remain committed to the objectives of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the implementation of its protocols as the optimum means for sub-regional social and economic integration and sustainable peace and stability. Our government shall support all other ECOWAS Protocols, as well as current moves to create a West African Monetary Union. The PPP shall endeavor to meet the convergence criteria prescribed, to attain the desired outcome.
As national economic borders crumble in the face of the twin phenomena of regionalization and globalization, the PPP government shall take full advantage of the benefits that these growing trends promise for international trade, employment creation, foreign inward investment, skills, and technology transfer, and for financial services providers and to harness these trends for the interest of the Gambian people.
CONCLUSION
We the People’s Progressive Party makes the sacred pledge to the people of Gambia that we shall lead our Nation to peace and prosperity. We shall build a nation of tomorrow better than the nations we have today. We shall build an equitable society based on prosperity, democracy, rule of law, and justice. We the PPP believes that the key to the advancement of the Gambia lies in Economic Growth, Technology Advancement, Environmental Stewardship, Energy Independence, Education, Good Governance, and Human Rights. We are dedicated and ready to turn things around in The Gambia.
“VOICE OF THE PEOPLE IS THE VOICE OF GOD”