The executive board and staff of the Gambia Press Union (GPU) on Saturday validated two policy manuals – on Finance, Procurement and Anti-Corruption, and on Human Resources Management and Staff Performance Appraisal.
The two policies were reviewed and validated in a two-day meeting held at TANGO Conference Hall in Bakau. The 15-participant conference observed social distancing in the sitting arrangement, and in addition, face masks and sanitisers were provided.
Lamin Jahateh, program manager for the Union, said the validation and eventual adoption of the two manuals would go a long in addressing the inadequate administrative and financial policies the Union has been grappling with.
He said the human resources manual is the primary policy on human resources management and development for the Union. It sets out the rules and regulations which need to be followed in order to help maintain a sound system human resources and administration operations of Gambia Press Union.
The Manual on Financial, Procurement and Anti-Corruption Internal Control Procedures Manual sets out the rules and regulations which need to be followed in order to help maintain a sound system of financial / accounting and procurement operations of Gambia Press Union.
Sheriff Bojang Jr, president of the GPU, said one of the three key pillars of the Union’s 2019-2021 strategic plan is strengthening the institutional capacity of the secretariat to make it more responsive and accountable to its members.
“In line with this strategic plan and as part of the project funded by the Civil Society Fund of Denmark, the GPU hired the services of a consultant to development the two manuals,” he said.
The first drafts of the two documents were submitted by the consultant for review by the GPU. The consultant acted on the feedback by the GPU to produce the final draft which has now been reviewed and validated.
The three-year project that supported the development of the manuals is co-implemented by the Gambia Media Support (GAMES), a Danish organisation that supports the Gambian media.
The objective of the project is to strengthen the Gambian media to play its ideal role in the country’s fragile democratic development and the transitional justice process.
