BLOG: Reflections on an inspirational technical visit to The Gambia

By Jason Woodroofe

In my personal life, I often find it’s very easy to take waste management for granted. In places with limited infrastructure and funds, delivering waste management services comes with an added layer of complexity, to say the least. I was fortunate enough to spend some time in Banjul, The Gambia last week seeing this dilemma in action.

 

Last week, from the 9-13th of June, WasteAid tapped into the expertise of the Chartered Institute of Wastes Management (CIWM) to facilitate a technical visit in support of Kanifing Municipal Council’s (KMC) waste management and behaviour change campaign Operation Sanity in Banjul. 

I travelled out to Banjul with Bonni Jee, Sarah Burns, Neil Thompson and John Patterson – four members of CIWM who are incredibly passionate about sharing their knowledge and experience to create a world without waste. In a jam-packed week of site visits, presentations, workshops and networking events, it was inspiring to see the passion that these four delegates showed, and the willingness to “roll up their sleeves” and get the work done. 

The week started with a site visit to Bakoteh dumpsite, the largest dumpsite in the greater Banjul area. The team from KMC took us for a walking tour of the site, explaining the system(s) in use at the site and some of the challenges they face. To say this visit was humbling would be an understatement. This site receives an estimated 500 tonnes of solid waste per day, brought to the facility by 40 trucks and approximately 400 donkey pulled carts. This is then sorted by several hundred informal waste collectors, often working in very hot, difficult and dangerous conditions.

Seeing the challenge(s) in managing this site was humbling for us all, but also a testament to the resilience and determination of Kanifing Municipal Council and the people of Banjul.  

On Tuesday and Wednesday the delegation was hosted by Kanifing Municipal Council for a series of discussions and workshops. The Mayor of Kanifing Municipal Council – Talib Ahmed Bensouda, kindly welcomed the delegation and spoke passionately about the partnership between WasteAid and KMC, as well as expressing his thanks to the members of CIWM for their time. 

During these workshops, the team from CIWM presented on behavior change campaigns, standard operating procedures, community engagement, stakeholder mapping and much, much more. It was an exciting two-way exchange of knowledge that both sides gained a lot from. We ran exercises on engaging with communities, mapping out stakeholders and community influencers and using creative communications campaigns to get people thinking, all of which closely related to KMC’s operation sanity.

We also reviewed the operating procedures of KMC’s Environment and Sanitation Unit, suggesting areas for improvement or deeper discussion. We loved bringing together parts of local government that perhaps didn’t get to come together to brainstorm like this very often, and the discussion reflected the desire to collaborate more.

For me, a key takeaway from these sessions was that waste management challenges truly are global challenges, and that we are all on the same journey. Granted some countries may be further along this journey than others, but that’s exactly why creating space for these conversations to take place is so crucial.  

 

On Thursday, we brought together members of the Dennakuwo Circular Economy Network, Kanifing Municipal Council and the CIWM delegates. This event showcased the work of the network, which is supported by funding from CIWM. The energy in the room was electric, and members of the network spoke with passion about their work and the opportunities for collaboration that the network had provided to them. One quote stands out to me in particular – “Your network is your net worth” and I couldn’t agree more. The strong people-to-people connections that we facilitated during this visit helped create the space for some amazing conversations on waste management, innovation, and the sharing of best practice.   

 

 

On the last day of the week, we came back together with the team from KMC to review parts of their Zero-Waste Strategy, breaking it down into timelines and actions and fostering discussions on these. This session stuck with me as it highlighted the vision that KMC has for their future – a future where waste is a resource, not a burden. This is what we as WasteAid are passionately trying to do as we support some of the world’s most vulnerable communities to turn waste into an economic ladder out of poverty.

As the week drew to a close, both the visiting delegation and KMC’s staff were left with a lot to think about and a burning desire to do even more. This week wouldn’t have been possible without the support of CIWM, KMC and the amazing individuals involved – so thank you all, and I’m looking forward to seeing the collaboration that’s still to come. To me, this is the start of a journey, not the end.  

 

Watch – updates from The Gambia: