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| Musa Baldeh, a student of St. Therese’s in Fula Bantang speaks to TNBES at an NCCE training on the formation of civic education clubs in schools, May 2014 (Photo Credit: MSJoof/TNBES) |
A
€4.5 million European Union-funded justice reform project in The Gambia has begun
preparations for its civic awareness campaign, the National Council for Civic
Education, NCCE, announced on Tuesday.
Officials
of the EU and their local partners including Gambia government officials in the
'access
to justice and legal education' project hold an inaugural Technical Committee
Meeting in Banjul to launch preparations for its “civic awareness campaign” which
starts later this year.
“This
action in support of access to justice and legal education
is contributing €4.5 million (D242 million) to justice
reform in The Gambia,” according to a March 24, 2015 NCCE statement.
TNBES understands the project is part of a wider
EU-funded “Governance Programme” of €10 million (D540 million) which
includes: access to justice and legal education; journalism and the media; and public
financial management.
It
is being implemented over 25 months from November 2014 to January 2017.
The
NCCE stated that the project will advance the its objectives to improve access
to legal services and remedial justice services such as alternative dispute
resolution with a focus on vulnerable groups, legal education and research, and
management of court cases.
“Its
main activities in support of access to justice include the implementation of a
civic awareness campaign on access to justice mechanisms, sensitisation of
customary leaders to standards for good justice practices, and support to
mediation and arbitration as alternatives to dispute resolution,” said Yusupha
Bojang, a programme officer of NCCE.
He
said the legal education aspect will focus on support to improving the curriculum
of the University of The Gambia Law Faculty, an exchange programme for
lecturers, and recommendations for improving the Bar preparation programme of
the Gambia Law School for new lawyers entering law practice.
It
will also support the updating of research materials for modern law, Sharia’
law, and customary law jurisprudence, Mr. Bojang said.
The
NCCE has stated that the project is also laying the groundwork for its support
to continuous training of judges and court staff of the Modern and Cadi courts,
and the District Tribunals. This will take effect simultaneously with its civic
awareness campaign activities.
Bojang
has disclosed that [a] judicial training expert will soon initiate an
assessment of training needs and review progress in judicial training since the
conclusion of similar donor projects in the past.
The
expert will be working closely with members of the Judiciary, Cadi Appeals
Panel, and Ministry of Lands and Regional Government.
Since
November 2014, the project has hired five experts and completed preparatory
work on updating the current status of laws relevant to The Gambia’s Tripartite
Justice System of Modern Common Law, Cadi Law and Customary Law, according to
officials in Banjul.
Written by Modou S. Joof
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