THE REPUBLIC OF THE GAMBIA’S COMBINED REPORT ON THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN & PEOPLES’ RIGHTS & INITIAL REPORT ON THE PROTOCOL TO THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN AFRICA The NEA has so far made great strides in enforcement of laws relating to proper waste management, public sensitization for environmental protection from degradation and pollution, encouraging the communities to engage in afforestation, and other activities for safeguarding the environment. Over the past years, The Gambia’s efforts to ensure access to safe drinking water have been effective. As at 2018 it is estimated that 72 % of the population have access to safe and clean drinking water as per water quality data collection results. A MICS 6 survey has recently been concluded and once published it is expected to provide updated information on the percentage of people having access to clean and safe drinking water. The progress of sanitation depends on adequate quality water and reliable electricity supply. The Government’s plans in this area also include improvement of operation and maintenance of water and sanitation facilities and governance of water resources and capacity building by training more engineers and managers. The objective is to increase equitable access of the entire population, particularly in the rural areas, to safe drinking water and sanitation services. Meanwhile, the Government ensures that water services are affordable for everyone through the monitoring role of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) mandated to monitor, regulate and approve unit costs in consultation with the general public. Massive sensitization and awareness-raising campaigns have also been undertaken by Local Government Authorities to inform the population on the hygienic use of water and minimizing water wastage. Challenges Despite the NEA’s efforts to raise awareness through public sensitizations on environmental protection, there is still in adequate public awareness on environmental protection and preservation. Failure to adhere to environmental protection measures was seen in the case of Golden Lead which was fined for failing to build a waste water treatment plant within its factory before discharging into the sea. In a similar case of Hassim Factory, fishmeal factory was ordered to suspend operations pending the building of adequate wastewater treatment facility. Additionally, there is inadequate infrastructure for waste management in urban and peri-urban areas. There is low investment for waste management by Municipalities who are principally responsible for management of dumping sites in their various municipalities and inadequate expertise of officers 117