On the 22 December, 2020 ,The Gambia Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (GCCPC), whose address is: 36 Kotu East, Off Bertil Harding Highway, KMC and the Young Volunteers for the Environment (YVE), whose address is: Farato, Brikama Highway, West Coast Region signed a Memorandum of Understanding . The purpose of this MOU is to establish and promote a strategic and cooperative partnership between GCCPC and YVE. The ceremony was held at the GCCPC office at Kotu witnessed by both senior staff of the respective institutions .
The Gambia Competition and Consumer Protection Commission as the National Consumer Protection Commission of the Gambia whose functions include, to coordinate resources towards promoting healthy competitive markets and enhance consumer welfare, provide information on any dangerous goods and services, regulate the importation, distribution and retailing of essential commodities in the Gambia.
while:
Young Volunteers for the Environment (YVE) is a registered youth led non-profit organization with expertise in environmental management, sustainable energy solutions and agro ecology practices and predominantly advocates for environmental sustainability in the scope of access to basic energy, water, health and sanitation services; waste management; cultural biodiversity; climate change; natural resource management and Toxic Free Environment.
Our advocacy key specific areas include: Policy monitoring, citizen participation, youth empowerment and youth policies, social entrepreneurship, traditional ecological knowledge, cultural biodiversity, community sustainable management plans, community based climate change adaptation, children and youth environmental education and importantly access to sustainable energy solutions (renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies).
The MoU signed by the two institutions sets out the basis on which the Parties shall negotiate in good faith in order to provide relevant information on goods advertisement (chemical goods), strict regulations on importation of toxic chemical items for attaining consumers protection and environmental sustainability but not necessarily limited to those contained in this section hereto, with the aim of concluding a formal contractual agreement or agreements relating to such identified areas of possible collaboration “Collaborative Consumer Protection”. For each Collaborative Consumer Protection, the Parties will conclude an agreement in terms of which various tasks can be undertaken towards the lead chemical management, development and training work required for the collaborative consumer protection.
The ceremony ended with signing of the MOU document mutually agreed by both the GCCPC and YVE to collaborate in strengthening consumer protection governance to manage the risk of chemical substances through the use of policies and Consumer Protection Act 2014 and cooperative research and development projects carried out partially in each institution in the areas of lead chemical substances management (toxic chemical), provision of relevant and accurate information in regard to toxic chemicals advertisements etc.
Report by :
YVE Communications Unit
Young Volunteers for the Environment (YVE -The Gambia) 