India extends public policy, governance training to Gambian Civil Servants
Sep 23, 2023
New Delhi [India], September 23 : The one-week training program focusing on public policy and governance for senior civil servants of Gambia successfully concluded in New Delhi.
The program, attended by 30 senior officials, including permanent secretaries, deputy permanent secretaries, and directors from Gambia, was conducted in partnership with India's Ministry of External Affairs, read the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions press release.
An essential milestone in international cooperation, this initiative resulted from a memorandum of understanding signed between the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) and the Gambia Public Service Commission to provide training to civil servants from Gambia.
During the valedictory session, V Srinivas, Secretary of the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) and DPPW, and Director-General of the National Center for Good Governance (NCGG), delivered the keynote address, read the press release.
Srinivas highlighted the pivotal role of technology in transforming the lives of citizens and emphasized the need to create a conceptual framework that addresses the expectations and requirements of the people, read the press release.
He underlined the importance of fostering partnerships among countries and creating an enabling environment for collaboration.
Srinivas also stressed that NCGG is dedicated to enhancing the capacity of civil servants, equipping them with essential knowledge, skills, and attitudinal changes needed for effective duty performance.
In his address, Srinivas outlined how the training program aimed to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and innovative practices successfully implemented in India to enhance digital governance and public service delivery, read the press release.
He encouraged the participants to identify four to five key takeaways from the program that they could adapt and implement, tailored to their specific needs.
Mustapha Jawara, High Commissioner of the Republic of the Gambia, lauded the training program's comprehensive approach and expressed the need for further collaboration with various Indian institutions, read the press release.
He emphasized the potential of such collaborations to promote people-centric governance and improve the quality of life for the people of Gambia.
He also requested future training programs for Gambian civil servants, extending over two weeks, highlighting India's partnership role in enhancing Gambia's development.
Dr A P Singh, the course coordinator, highlighted the diverse topics covered during the training program, ranging from Artificial Intelligence in Government to digital governance in healthcare and housing for all, read the release.
Exposure visits to prominent institutions such as the Research and Information System for Developing Countries, NITI Aayog, and AIIMS further enriched the participants' learning experiences.
This capacity-building program was meticulously executed by a dedicated team, including Dr A P Singh, Course Coordinator for Bangladesh, Dr Mukesh Bhandari, Associate Course Coordinator, and Sanjay Dutta Pant, Programme Assistant, in collaboration with the capacity-building team of NCGG.
