Strengthening local risk governance: local hazard and risk zoning exercise in the Gambia 2014

This document addresses the hazards and associated risks that are prevalent in The Gambia as a result of the limited resources and capacity to prepare and respond to them. It reports on a project undertaken to highlight the hazards and associated risks that The Gambia experience, with the intention to provide important and necessary data for an effective response.

The results from the project revealed that the hazards and associated risks that the communities felt had the greatest impact on their livelihoods were flood, windstorm, bush and domestic fire, and human disease outbreak (particularly related to primary health care). Other risks that were mentioned included boat accidents, pest invasion (hippos, birds and monkeys), livestock disease and road traffic accidents.

Due to the regional geo-political ecology, The Gambia does not fall as a regular humanitarian fund recipient country. This can be attributed to the lack of hazard and risk communication as well as the availability of data generation. This project therefore aims to generate and communicate substantial localised data, which advocates for The Gambia’s humanitarian needs in terms of building disaster resilient communities in-line with Hyogo Framework for Action (2005-2015).