NDMA Trains 60 Officials in Drought Preparedness and Early Warning

The National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), along with its partners, initiated a five-day intensive course on Monday for 60 government a...

The National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), along with its partners, initiated a five-day intensive course on Monday for 60 government and non-government officials focusing on drought risk modeling and early warning systems as part of the African Risk Capacity (ARC) program.

Coordinated by the Gambia Technical Working Group in collaboration with the ROOTS Project, the training is designed to enhance participants' expertise in forecasting and managing climate-related emergencies.

At the inauguration event, Mawdo Jallow, National Coordinator of the ARC and Project & Resource Mobilization Coordinator at NDMA, stated that the training emphasizes the application of Africa Risk View (ARV), an effective instrument created to forecast and evaluate drought risks throughout Africa.

This program unites officials from governmental and non-governmental organizations involved in disaster risk management," Jallow explained. "The objective is to assist The Gambia in exploring both macro and micro insurance solutions to enhance its climate-related disaster risk financing systems.

He revealed that The Gambia's present involvement in ARC mainly focuses on drought, but there are plans to add flood modeling. "We have completed arrangements with the Global SEAL via the Ministry of Finance to participate in the flood index. NDMA is already gathering and examining rainfall data to gain a better understanding of flash floods and runoff patterns that frequently damage homes and livelihoods," he mentioned.

The program is a component of the Africa Integrated Climate Risk Management Project, supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and carried out across seven African nations, such as The Gambia, Senegal, Mali, and Mauritania. In The Gambia, it is managed via the ROOTS initiative in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP) and the African Development Bank (AfDB).

Benyam Terese, Head of the Technical Division at ARC, praised The Gambia's long-term participation in the African Union's specialized agency focused on disaster risk management. He mentioned that the training aims to increase the application of ARC tools not only among technical professionals but also other organizations engaged in early warning systems, seasonal tracking, and micro-insurance development.

"This initiative will allow officials to utilize the ARC model not only for country-wide insurance purposes but also to create community-driven solutions that safeguard smallholder farmers and at-risk families," he stated.

Announcing the start of the training, Sanna Dahaba, Executive Director of NDMA and National Supervisor of the ARC initiative, emphasized The Gambia's continuous move from disaster response to prevention and preparedness.

In recent years, we have taken significant steps from reacting to disasters once they occur to concentrating on prevention and reducing risks," Dahaba said. "The capacity to predict and examine potential disaster patterns is crucial for making well-informed decisions and taking effective measures.

He emphasized that climate modeling and disaster insurance are essential for national resilience, enabling The Gambia to quickly address emergencies without depending entirely on outside assistance.

"Rather than waiting for crises to occur and then looking for financial support, our method is to prepare in advance. That's the government's plan to foresee and take action," he stated.

Dahaba encouraged attendees to fully embrace responsibility for the results of the training by gaining proficiency in the technical elements of risk modeling, thereby minimizing reliance on outside specialists and strengthening the country's ability to handle disasters.

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