Girls’ Pride Gambia holds Funneh Board Game Competition for Police Officers
By Alieu Bobb
Girls’ Pride Gambia on Wednesday 30th April 2025 holds Funneh Board Game Competition among Police Officers from different units. The competition focused on Child Marriage and the Child Marriage laws, FGM and the FGM Laws, and Sexual and Gender Based Violence.
The competition was held at the Police Intervention Unit (PIU) Headquarters in Kanifing. It marked the final evaluation activity for the project titled #Play2Empower: Using Game-Based Learning to Empower Law Enforcers on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in The Gambia. Funded by the German Cooperation, European Union, and GIZ, the project was implemented by Girls’ Pride Gambia in partnership with the Gambia Police Force Female Network.
Police Intervention Unit (PIU) emerged winners in the Funneh Board Game Competition while Serrekunda and Old Yundum secured second position.
The twenty police officers from different units that participated in the competition were Interior Academy, Police Intervention Unit (PIU), Serrekunda, Crab Island, Madina, Banjul, Tujereng, Old Yundum, Bundung and Kairaba.
Musa Wally, chief judge for the competition described the event as a success, highlighting that there has been adequate knowledge sharing during the step-down training.
“This is clearly manifested in the quality of answers that have been provided by the participants during the Funneh Board Game Competition,” he stated.
He added that the competition has also equipped police officers with adequate knowledge on child marriage and sexual and gender-based violence. He went on to say that with time they will even be more acquainted with the laws governing SGBV, FGM and also child marriage.
Mr Wally described the participants as law enforcers, noting that giving them the required knowledge and skill will help them in their community policing to ensure they prevent crimes related to all the areas discussed.
He also pointed out the need for the expansion of the project to ensure more police officers benefit from it in order to achieve the aims and objectives of the security sectoral reform in the country.
Teresa Oebet, GIZ Gender & Communications Adviser expressed delight in how seriously police officers have taken the Funneh Board Game Competition.
She highlighted the need for police officers to continue to horn their knowledge around child marriage, female genital mutilation and sexual and gender-based violence.
She also highlighted the need for people to change their behavior towards survivors of sexual and gender-based violence as well as raise more awareness.
She urged participants to keep playing and enjoying the game but also share the knowledge with their colleagues.
Omar Comma, Inspector of Police Intervention Unit commended implementors and funders of the project he described as timely and important for police officers. He observed that policing is evolving every day and therefore it is important for them to continue to learn and stay on top of issues.
He added that the PIU has a series of training and is also involved in so many trainings to make sure they have a better force.
ASP Fatou Njie Colley, Executive Secretary for the Gambia Police Force Female Network described the Funneh Board Game as very interesting and educative, noting that it has taught them a lot since its introduction to the Gambia Police Force.
She highlighted the need for more sensitization to ensure people report cases of sexual and gender-based violence to the Gambia Police Force but also stop the practice of female genital mutilation and child marriage.
CPL Alfusainy Drammeh, Old Yundum Station said the competition has equipped him with knowledge he will utilize in his day-to-day work but also share with the family, co-workers and neighborhood. He therefore thanked implementors and funders of the project.
