NILDS Trains Staff of Gambian Parliament on Legislative Processes

NILDS Trains Staff of Gambian Parliament on Legislative Processes

The National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) on Monday, commenced training for some staff members of the Gambian Parliament.

The training, which is a train the trainer initiative, had some bureaucratic members of Parliament in The Gambia, led by the Director of Committees, Mr Landing Jobe, at the NILDS headquarters for the week-long exercise.

The training, which also had some members of the Nigerian Legislature in attendance, is also designed as an experience sharing platform.

The Director General of NILDS, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, who declared the training open, emphasised the importance of legislature in driving democratic principles of any country.

He reminded the lawmakers that the scope of their work could not be completed during plenary sessions as more work is done during the committee meetings and other hearings.

Sulaiman however stressed that the role of the lawmakers could not be effective if it does not have quality support staff and resources.

He emphasised that it is in a bid to ensure better performance of legislature in both countries that the institute has planned the training.

“As you are all aware, parliaments are one of the key state institutions in a democratic system of governance.

“They have a critical role to play in promoting democracy and good governance.

“By bringing together senior bureaucrats and clerks of the committees from the National Assembly, it is expected that the study visit will lead to a better understanding among participants.

“The two sides will no doubt benefit from the experiences of both parliaments and hence, devise strategies to bolster committee practices in our two countries,” he said.

He pledged the commitment of the Institute to provide the best quality support to parliamentarians in Nigeria, at the sub-regional body ECOWAS and to parliaments of other African countries.

Speaking on behalf of the Clerk of the Gambian National Assembly, Mr Landing Jobe, the Director of Committee thanked NILDS for the training.

He specially commended the Institute for its support in building the capacities of members of parliament in the ECOWAS region over the years through workshops.

“On behalf of the clerk of the National Assembly of The Gambia, I wish to thank the DG NILDS and his team for the wonderful training offered to us.

“These trainings that we have received over the years has greatly improved the performance of our parliament,” he said.

He urged his colleagues to participate actively in the five-day training so as to assimilate enough knowledge which they will in turn impart to their colleagues on their return. (NAN)

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