By Seedy Jobe
The Foundation for Climate and Environmental Justice (FCEJ) has announced its commitment to strengthening environmental protection in The Gambia by combining community advocacy with legal accountability mechanisms.
Speaking on QTV’s This Morning programme on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, the organisation’s Executive Director, Awa A. Cham, and Finance Officer, Alhagie Mballow, outlined the foundation’s mission and ongoing initiatives.
Cham explained that FCEJ focuses on raising awareness and ensuring that rural communities are actively included in climate-related decision-making processes.
“Foundation for Climate and Environmental Justice as an organisation, we basically focus on raising awareness through advocacy and also listening to the voices of the local communities because we believe that when it comes to climate and environmental issues, they are not usually included in the decision-making process. So we go far to reach them, know their concern and also put forward their voices, amplify them in policy discourses,” Cham said.
She noted that while several organisations in The Gambia are engaged in environmental protection, FCEJ distinguishes itself by emphasising legal intervention to ensure accountability.
“We have so many organisations that have embarked on climate and environmental protection, but the rare thing that we hardly see is the inclusion of legal intervention. So we believe that we should have inclusive policies, policies that cannot only be put in place as policies but also be implemented and hold people accountable for them,” Cham added.
Finance Officer Alhagie Mballow identified low public awareness and weak enforcement of environmental laws as major challenges facing the country. He cited common practices such as indiscriminate littering and unauthorised tree cutting as persistent issues.
“Many times our problem is people don’t protect our environment, and I believe there are regulations that are put in place to deter people from littering and deforesting our environment. And these are problems that the government itself is in fact having issues with,” Mballow said.
He emphasised that FCEJ aims to educate communities about existing regulations, including the Anti-Littering Act, to reinforce the understanding that environmental violations carry consequences.
Cham, however, acknowledged the complexities involved in promoting behavioural change, particularly in communities where livelihoods depend on environmentally harmful practices.
Reflecting on a recent outreach programme in Kerr Jarga, she highlighted the reliance of many rural households on firewood and traditional building materials.
“Yes, sometimes it’s very challenging, especially recently we embarked on a climate and environmental justice documentation and outreach programme at Kerr Jarga. Let’s say, for instance, firewood. In most of the communities, they rely on firewood to be able to feed themselves. So you cannot tell that particular community or group of people that you have to stop this because it’s detrimental to the environment,” she said.
FCEJ says it will continue its outreach and advocacy efforts, aiming to balance environmental protection with the socio-economic realities faced by local communities.
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