Gambian government ready to tackle population

According to UN sources, the Gambia is confronting population with renewed vigor. A multi-sectoral population policy was formulated in 1992, taking into account recommendations made by the 1991 joint government and UNFPA Program Review and Strategy Development project. It was approved only after it had been widely discussed in regional cities amongst local community leaders. In January 1993, the government agency responsible for the population program was transferred to the Gambian President Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara's office, who now chairs the National Population Commission. At the first meeting of the Commission in April, the President re-emphasized the need to manage the country's population and the possible impact of rapid population growth on national development. "With a national policy and strong institutional structures in place, the Government of Gambia is poised to launch a major effort to achieve its targets in the area of population," he said. However, he emphasized the full complexity of the process and called for consensus on objectives to be achieved by the population program.