By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT
The Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) started a two-day training retreat for staff of the National Assembly on Thursday 19th August 2022 at Baobab Hotel in Bijilo. August is usually reserved for Parliament to go on recess, meaning that most Parliamentary Staff goes on leave. This meant that a number of Parliamentary Staff decided to attend the session despite being on annual leave. At least twenty (20) Parliamentary Staff were in attendance for the training.
The opening session was moderated by the Deputy Clerk for Legal and Procedural Matters Mr Kalipha MM Mbye who introduced the WFD’s Gambia Representative, Mr Madi Jobarteh to deliver the welcoming remarks. After welcoming all the delegates Mr Jobarteh highlighted the importance of Parliament and Parliamentary Staff. Mr Jobarteh highlighted that since the National Assembly gained its autonomy at the start of 2022 the National Assembly has created the National Assembly Inter-Departmental Research and Information Group (NAIDRIG) which can play an important role in building the capacity of Parliamentary Staff.
Mr Jobarteh explained that NAIDRIG “is like a technical working group comprising heads of units who would meet, review, plan, design, monitor the entire work of the National Assembly so that at the end of the day each and every unit is seen to be performing well and delivering well”. He thanked the National Assembly and the Office of the Clerk for their collaborative relationship which has resulted in the two-day training of Parliamentary Staff.
Delivering the official opening remarks, Deputy Clerk for Admin and Finance, Mr Buba M.E. Jatta welcomed the support of WFD and Madi Jobarteh who he recognised as a strong critic and supporter of Parliament. Mr Jatta highlighted that “when we say the National Assembly, the staff plays a critical role”. One of the key roles of Parliamentary staff is to provide information and Parliamentarians will “make their decision based on the information we provide. So, time to time coming together” to see how we provide that support is very critical, noted Mr Jatta. The Deputy Clerk referred to NAIDRIG as the engine room of the National Assembly.