By Assan Bah
Residents of Marakissa Ward in the West Coast Region have appealed to President Adama Barrow’s government to improve feeder roads, extend electricity to unserved communities and provide more development projects.
The appeals were made on Wednesday, 14 October, during President Barrow’s ongoing Meet the People Tour. Residents acknowledged development projects in the region but said several communities continued to face challenges, particularly during the rainy season.
Welcoming the presidential delegation, Manduar Alkalo Jerreh Bojang called for electricity to be extended to communities that remain without power.
“This area is short of electricity,” he said.
Chief Dembo Bojang acknowledged government projects, including water supply and ROOTS, in Marakissa Ward but called for the construction and rehabilitation of feeder roads linking the area to Kombo East.
“We have roads linking us to Kombo East, but they are hardly motorable during the rainy season. We are appealing for the construction of the Darsilameh–Sifoe and the Jidda–Baba Njie roads,” he said.
The chief also raised concerns about livestock theft in the area and called on the Ministry of Interior to take swift action.
Mr Seedy Nyassi said more development projects were needed in Marakissa Ward, arguing that some communities, including Bajiran, had yet to benefit from government interventions.
“Bajiran hasn’t got any government project since colonial times. They don’t have electricity or a good road, as it is always a challenge to access Bajiran during the rainy season. And they have always supported successive governments,” he said, appealing for government intervention.
Mr Nyassi also listed several feeder roads in need of improvement, warning that poor road conditions disrupted children’s access to education during the rainy season.
“The Basura–Darsilameh road is not good. The Penyem–Marakissa road is also not good, and when it rains, our children will not go to school. Manduar–Sambou Kunda also faces the same problem. Marakissa–Kitty also has a short route, but it is not good,” he said.
He further called for repairs to community garden projects, saying damaged fences and water tanks were affecting their operations.
“We have garden projects within the ward, but all the fences and water tanks are damaged. We have reported the matter to the ministry’s officials,” he said.
Mr Nyassi also urged the government to complete the technical senior secondary school under construction in Marakissa, saying it could provide young people with practical skills and employment opportunities.
“Some of our youth have completed secondary school and are supposed to go to university, but they cannot because of resource constraints from their parents,” he said.
He said the technical senior secondary school being constructed by the government in Marakissa was yet to be completed to function fully as a technical senior secondary school.
He added: “This school, when completed, will provide the youth with skills training and employment opportunities.”
Fatou Jatta, the lady councillor, raised concerns about the condition of the road linking Kabafita in Brikama North to Bafuloto. She also called for the long-awaited development of a market in the area.
“The road in Brikama North, Kabafita to Bafuloto, is very bad. The second issue is our market. We have been crying about it for a while now,” she said.
Addressing the president, she added: “Mr President, you know it is the business centre of the West Coast. And we believe that you will work on the market like you have done for the other areas.”
Mr Alkali Sanyang, meanwhile, praised the government’s development projects in Kombo East, citing improvements in access to electricity, roads and clean drinking water.
“Before the coming of the current regime, 10 villages out of the 32 had electricity. Thanks to this government, we have only two un-electrified villages now,” he said.
Responding to some of the concerns raised, President Barrow assured residents that his government remained committed to reaching communities across the country.
“You can say I haven’t reached your community, but you cannot say I will not reach you. I will address all your needs one after the other,” he said.
The president urged residents to be patient, saying the government could not address every development need at once because of limited resources.
“We cannot work on The Gambia at once. We should also have in our minds that our resources are limited and ours is a tax-based economy. That was why the first two governments could not do what I did,” he said.
President Barrow also detailed his government’s development projects in roads, electricity and education among other sectors, during his ten years in office.
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