The Gambia Knowledge Bank Incorporated

There is a stark difference between critical thinking and conventional thinking for 52 years, Gambia has leveraged it's strategic thinking to multilateral organisation whose purpose of existence is to promote an agenda that perpetuate the status quo that existed in precolonial Gambia in the sense that we are being encouraged to produce and sell our commodities in its crude form without transformation or adding value to it. Furthermore our development agenda hasn't been wholesome nor did it have a tool kit that was robust enough to bankroll our development needs.

The prevailing proposition took us no where and we are still locked in the bubble of this crazy whirlwind. A country's development agenda must be home grown and country driven if meaningful development strides are to be registered. I therefore called for a radical shift in paradigm towards our development aspirations. The idea of participatory democracy propelled by non state actors have taken root in development circles and this in my view will challenge and compliment government initiatives in repositioning Gambia for sustainable growth and prosperity in the future. I therefore called for the creation and operationalisation of #GambiaKnowledgeBankIncorporated as a private initiative  to look at Gambia's ailments and not only offer prescriptive solutions but implement initiatives that augments the policy and structural deficiencies inherent in our quest to develop our country. The ensuing paragraphs are my attempts in scripting a concept note to clearly illustrate what this entity will be engaged in.

Human resources especially brain thrust is the corner stone of national development. Unfortunately, the Gambia as a nation has suffered a significant blow in its stock of human capital. In the past 22 years, The Gambia had a net outflow of human capital which was precipitated by poor governance structures spearheaded by Despot Jammeh. The arrest, detention, incessant sackings and lack of tenure for public servants prompted many to move west ward for greener pastures and a life of dignified professional participation. In light of the above mentioned, the Gambia as a nation suffered significantly in terms of its development trajectory. Government offices were staffed by people with limited professional capacity and foresight to move “Project Gambia” in the right direction. It is therefore an imperative to build the new Gambia using the skill set and expertise of Gambian professionals living in the diaspora. The foot prints of these Gambians can be found in most international public organizations and major Fortune 500 companies in the global corporate scene. These Gambians will periodically avail their services to help build a better Gambia that will pride itself with growth prospects. The services of this cluster (Professional Gambians with specialized skill sets) should be coordinated by an entity that will facilitate their access and intervention as and when needed by the state. The above prognosis is the basis of a foundation that will harness, coordinate and facilitate the participation of professional Gambians domiciled outside the jurisdiction of the Gambia. This foundation will be called “The Gambia Knowledge Bank Incorporated”. It will serve as an interface between government and bona fide Gambian professionals who in one way or another want to render their services to the government by way of consultancies or periodic technical advice. For this foundation to be effective, the following prerequisites must be attained.

i.   The establishment of a secretariat that act as a conduit/liaison between these professionals and the government.

ii.  A focal ministry to interface with the secretariat for all resource needs and mobilization. Preferably the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should consider being the focal point as it is best suited to initiate contact with the respective employers of the Gambians we are trying to attract.

iii.   A comprehensive needs assessment study to ascertain the technical needs of the Gambia and specific sectoral areas of intervention.

iv.   The identification of Good Will Ambassadors to convince professional Gambians to periodically volunteer their time and resources to assist in our developmental aspirations.

v.    Arrange with multilaterals and bilaterals to facilitate the short term arrangement to free up a particular staff for a national assignment.

vi.   The creation of a knowledge bank catalogue that highlight identified Gambians and their specific area of intervention. This arrangement by all intent and purpose will be a first off initiative that can accelerate the growth and development of our nation. This window accorded to the professional Gambians residing in the diaspora will accelerate growth and development of our dear nation. This brief synopsis is just a concept note that can be expound upon in furtherance of the ideals we all espoused for the new Gambia.