The outgoing National Assembly members today called for an upgrade to the country’s Parliament infrastructure as they bid farewell. 

Gambians will head to the polls in April to elect the new National Assembly members for the next five years.

Speaker Mariam Jack Denton said the Parliament lacks adequate infrastructure adding: “there is a lack of office accommodation for both members and some professional staff. There are limited meeting rooms (four meeting rooms for about 18 committees).

“There are a few technical challenges including no media room or conference centre. 

“I hope the next Speaker and Parliament will engage our partners and of course the Government to invest in a new annex building to cater for this infrastructural deficiency. 

“Unfortunately, although my Office tried to engage the assistance of the Turkish Agency for International Cooperation (TIKA) on this matter, it did not result in success. 

“This is a project I dearly wish the next leadership of the National Assembly to take up,” she added.

“The existing professional staff are non-partisan, and additional staff are being recruited to improve on the capacity.

“The Hansard unit is understaffed but considerable efforts are being made to clear the backlog in transcriptions. 

“The National Assembly Service is responsible for providing public education about the functions of the Assembly and Committees. 

“Some initiatives have been undertaken, for example the recent Open Day forum organised by the Office of the Clerk together with WFD-Gambia serves as a public lecture for stakeholders on the working of Parliament,” she said.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba