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National Training Workshops (NTW)
In Media – The Gambia
NAMs,
journalists trained on competition policy, law
Today Newspaper, The Gambia, April 13, 2010
NAMs, media
practitioners trained on competition policy & law
Daily Observer, The Gambia, April 12, 2009
NAMs,
journalists trained on competition policy, law
Today Newspaper, The Gambia, April 13, 2010
The Pro-Poor Advocacy Group
(Pro-PAG) and the Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS
International), India over the weekend organized a one day
national capacity building training workshop on Competition
Policy and Law for National Assembly Members and media
practitioners from various print and electronic media houses
across the country at the Kairaba Beach Hotel.
The training was part of
activities of a project entitled: Strengthening
Constituencies for Effective Competition Regimes in Select
West African Countries’ (7Up4 Project). The purpose of this
project, according to the organizers, is to foster a healthy
competition culture through evidence-based research,
capacity building and advocacy.
The national training workshop,
it was noted, is to afford the beneficiaries to learn best
practices from international experts as a means of promoting
a healthy competition culture to foster economic
development, growth and alleviate poverty.
According to the organizers,
journalists are also being trained in a bid to create the
enabling environment for collaboration and partnership for
development, noting that the media is a key stakeholder in
the process of developing a nation through competition.
Speaking to participants after
the training, Honorable Alhagi Sillah, National Assembly
member for Banjul North described the training was very
interactive and educative. He said although it was the
National Assembly members who passed the Competition Bill,
such forums should be held for them to discuss the bill more
with stakeholders and the general public. According to him,
there are possible weaknesses in every bill, such fora, he
said, would provide opportunities for such weaknesses to be
corrected.
On the importance of the
Competition Bill, Honorable Sillah said once the bill is
adopted, there should be the provision of a level and fair
playing ground for every competitor, adding that the most
important thing about competition is the benefits to the
consumers. “The competition bill is all about what the
Gambian people can enjoy from it, because we are all here
for the interest of citizens and non citizens of The Gambia.
So if the country has a level and fair playing field for
competitors, the people will be the one to benefit at the
end,” he said.
For Abba Gibba,
deputy chief editor at The Point Newspaper, the training
will enhance the capacity of journalists in understanding
certain matters about competition laws, adding that it
will also enhance their capacity in reporting on
competition issues. He concluded by expressing sincere
thanks on behalf of the media to the Pro-Poor Advocacy
Group (pro-PAG) and the Consumer Unity & Trust Society
(CUTS International), India for organizing the one day
training workshop.
The
news item can also be viewed at:
http://today.gm
NAMs, media
practitioners trained on competition policy & law
Daily Observer, The Gambia, April 12, 2009
The Pro-Poor
Advocacy Group (Pro-PAG) in collaboration with the
Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS international),
last Friday convened a days training session for members
of the National Assembly and media practitioners on
competition policy and law.
The training was
held at the conference hall of Kairaba Beach Hotel in
Kololi with the theme:Strengthening constituencies for
effective competition regimes in select West African
countries. The training was part of the 7up4 project. The
7up4 project seeks to foster a healthy competition culture
through evidence-based research, capacity building and
advocacy. At the end of the training, officials hoped that
it would offer participants the opportunity to adopt best
practices as means of promoting healthy competition in
society to cultivate sustainable economic growth towards
poverty alleviation.
In his official
opening statement, Abdoulie Bojang, the deputy speaker of
the National Assembly, pointed out that the training would
give dividend and strengthen the understanding of the
participants on the competition policy and law. Deputy
speaker Bojang emphasised the need for closer
collaboration between stakeholders for the local business
sectors to clearly understand the contents of the policy.
Alhaji Tamu Njie,
chairman of the Gambia Competition Commission, described
the involvement of the National Assembly members and media
practitioners in the training as a step in the right
direction. The Competition Act, he said is in place to
protect the integrity of the country before the
international arena. Njie told the gathering that the
objective of the commission is not to destroy competition
in the country but to promote it. While calling on
participants to take up proactive roles in promoting and
advocating the Competition Act in the country, he equally
reiterated the need for unity in the interest of
development.
Presenting a topic
on the introduction to competition policy and law,
Cornelius Dube, a resource person from CUTS international,
said competition is a process of rivalry between firms
striving to gain sales and make profit. The competition
policy, Dube told the gathering is government's commitment
to promote competition in all sectors which could result
in refinement of other policies.
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