Gambia - Country Profile
Fact File
- Gambia
- Area: (4,361 sq miles 11,295 sq. km)
- Capital: Banjul
- Population: 1,663,000
- Life expectancy: 53 (m), 61 (w)
- Child mortality (under 5): 114 per 1000
The Gambia is a small country in Western Africa which looks out onto the Atlantic Ocean. It is completely surrounded by Senegal, with the exception of its small coast-line. The geography of the country is dominated by the Gambia River basin and floodplain, beyond which lies savannah and low hills. The climate is tropical with a hot rainy season (June to November) and a cooler dry season (November to May).
Riders in Gambia
- Number of staff: 185
- Number of vehicles managed: 283
- Programme Director: Therese Drammeh
- Deputy programme directors: Ali Ceesay and Che Jallow
Riders programme in the Gambia was officially launched in January 2004 with the opening of our headquarters in Kanifing, however Riders involvement in the country dated back to 1989. In 2002 the Gambian Department of State for Health (DoSH) gave Riders the responsibility for managing their full vehicle fleet of two and four wheeled vehicles. Between 2004 and 2009 Riders managed these vehicles in our TRM system.
Riders' has three workshops spread across in the Gambia. The main workshop is located in Kanifing, in the country' major city of Serekunda. There are also has workshops in Mansakonko and Bansang. This allows our technicians to provide monthly outreach servicing for health workers' vehicles in their communities, wherever they are based.
In 2008 the support of the Skoll Foundation enabled Riders to begin implementation of our first vehicle leasing programme, in partnership with DoSH, GT Bank and the Global Fund. This major innovation means that the Gambia will be the first country in Africa to be equipped with complete transportation coverage for its health service. It would therefore also be the first country to show the impact on the health of a nation when health resources reach the population reliably and over time.
Dr Gassama, former Secretary for Health and Social Welfare, described the impact of Riders' work on the delivery of health care in the country saying:
'When the fleet was handed over to Riders in January 2002, most of the vehicles were in a poor state of repair, with only 39% of them roadworthy (60% for motorcycles).
'The contract with Riders was therefore signed in order to alleviate those problems that had hampered the smooth running of the health transport service for a very long time. Riders for Health have been making massive improvements in the maintenance of the vehicles. I am informed that the vehicles are now running with very limited breakdowns and that those no longer capable of doing so are being retired gradually.
'It is indeed a great relief to the Department to have Riders for Health handling the difficult issues of adequate supply of fuel, genuine replacement parts and proper control of the transport. The Department of State can now concentrate on its core activities without being bogged down with the management of its vehicles.'
In addition to its contract with DoSH, Riders Gambia also provides transport management services for a large number of partners, including local and international NGOs and development agencies, such as Voluntary Services Overseas and the World Health Organisation.
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