ALLOCATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF CONSTITUENCY DEVELOPMENT FUNDS
LESSONS FOR THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE GAMBIA ON THE ALLOCATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF CONSTITUENCY DEVELOPMENT FUNDS Overview Constituency Development Funds (CDFs) are a political development tool that are increasingly gaining popularity among Parliaments and Parliamentarians worldwide, more so in developing countries. The Gambia could be considered as among the latest countries to adopt a CDF approach to development when the budget for it was approved by the National Assembly in 2021. A CDF is considered as an arrangement that allows a Member of Parliament (MP) to facilitate the spending of funds dedicated and directly earmarked for development project(s) in his or her constituency. In other words, the CDF is a mechanism that gives MPs a degree of authority to identify and implement projects in their own constituencies. The ‘good’ intent is to provide, through Parliament, initiatives that would address inequalities in terms of developments around the country. For some countries, the MP plays the lead role of presiding over constituency opinions on what, where and how the fund is spent or will be spent. Over the years, arguments have emerged from among the public, both for and against the execution of a CDF by MPs. The proponents for CDFs pointed out some of the benefits of the initiatives, noting that they bring about direct visibility of the MP through the projects implemented in the constituency. Those against the approach argued that implementation of projects is exclusively reserved for the Executive. They posited that Parliament is the supreme audit institution which alone has the mandate to approve the spending of national resources, and ensures that such resources are effectively accounted for by implementing institutions. For this reason, Parliament cannot be a referee and a player at the same time. In other words, Parliament cannot be an audit institution of how national resources are spent, at the same time allowing Parliamentarians themselves to become spending officers of that resource. The question that might arise would be, who shall hold Parliament accountable? To the proponents of this latter argument, Parliament would be deviating from its traditional mandate of legislation, oversight/ scrutiny and representation, as in the case of an auditor becoming an accountant. As such, this will dilute Parliament’s position
to effectively monitor and scrutinise projects that it has itself implemented. Constituency Development Funds in The Gambia It may be argued that the ultimate objective of CDFs is to eliminate poverty at the grassroot level and bridge the gap of development imbalances across the various regions of the country through the projects and programmes implemented under the initiative. It is against this understanding and craving desire that, in 2021, The Gambia joined the list of countries that adopted CDFs as the National Assembly appropriated sixteen million two hundred thousand dalasi (D16,200,000) for use by Parliamentarians on development projects in their constituencies. Each of the 53 elected National Assembly Members (NAMs) was allocated the sum of three hundred thousand dalasi (D300,000) for that purpose. In 2023, CDF allocation was increased to twenty-nine million dalasi (29,000,000) cumulatively to include both elected and nominated NAMs, thereby allocating each five hundred thousand dalasi (D500,000). By virtue of his role as Chief Executive Officer, the Clerk of the National Assembly is the accounting officer and vote controller of the CDFs. There is no law yet on CDFs in the country. However, the National Assembly Authority, through the Office of the Clerk, developed a CDF Policy to guide the disbursement and implementation process of the funds. The onus lies with the Authority, through the Office of the Clerk, to ensure that before funds are disbursed, the requests and proposals submitted by NAMs fulfill procurement rules and requirements. All procurements of goods and services are made by the Office of the Clerk. No NAM handles the CDF in cash. They only implement what has been procured, and this procurement is strictly done in line with their submitted proposals and The Gambia Public Procurement Act. The CDF policy constitutes a CDF Committee and CDF Contracts Committee. The National Assembly Authority serves as the CDF Committee while the Contracts Committee of the National Assembly also serves as the CDF Contracts Committee. The CDF Committee considers and approves project proposals submitted by NAMs as well as addressing complaints of disbursement and management
Alhagie M. Dumbuya is the Director of Library and Research Services at the National Assembly of The Gambia. Email: dalhagie@yahoo.com. Views expressed are personal.
318 | The Parliamentarian | 2023: Issue Four | 100 years of publishing
