By Yankuba Jallow
The National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) has linked the loss of government funding for the protection of The Gambia’s boundary pillars to the Economic Recovery Programme (ERP) introduced in the 1980s with the support of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.
The council said a budget allocation of D100 for boundary pillar protection, which had been used to maintain fences around the markers, was discontinued in 1985 as the country embarked on economic reforms aimed at addressing a severe economic crisis.
Hassoum Ceesay, director general of the NCAC and a historian, said the decision had affected the protection of the pillars, which mark the country’s boundaries and form part of its colonial history.
In an update issued on 28 September 2026, the council said the allocation had previously been provided to chiefs to ensure that boundary pillars in their districts were protected with wire mesh or strong Keno logs.
“Up to the mid-1980s, D100 (one hundred dalasis) was budgeted as Boundary Pillar Protection in our National Budget,” the NCAC stated.
The council explained that the money was given to chiefs to ensure that each pillar was fenced off to prevent cattle and other animals from damaging the structures. The fencing also made the markers easier to identify. In some areas, the funds were channelled through area councils, which supervised the protection work. According to the NCAC, chiefs and area councils competed to maintain the pillars in good condition. However, the council said the allocation was stopped in 1985, linking the decision to the economic reforms introduced during the administration of former president Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara.
“In that year, the IMF and World Bank came to rescue the Gambian economy, which was in such a free fall that there was acute food shortage as The Gambia had less than 2 weeks of import cover,” the NCAC said, recounting Ceesay’s explanation.
The council said the institutions supported the introduction of the Economic Recovery Programme, which sought to address the country’s economic difficulties. Ceesay attributed the removal of the boundary pillar allocation to the cost-cutting measures associated with the programme.
“Therefore, the D100 budget allocation was cut and did away with by the Bretton Woods Institutions to cut costs for the Government of The Gambia,” he said, according to the NCAC update.
He added that the economic reforms had consequences for ordinary Gambians as well as the protection of the country’s boundary markers.
“The Economic Recovery Programme of the 1980s had a negative impact on thousands of ordinary Gambian public servants who were laid off, but also on our Boundary Pillars because they lost their budget care allocation,” Ceesay said.
The NCAC’s account places the loss of funding for the pillars within the wider economic adjustment measures introduced during the 1980s, while drawing attention to the long-term effects on the preservation of historical boundary markers.
The council has continued to publish updates on the ongoing boundary demarcation exercise, highlighting the condition of the colonial-era pillars and encouraging communities to recognise and protect them.
In an update dated 5 October 2026, the NCAC presented a photograph of a complete colonial boundary pillar found at Kanjibina village in Foni Berefet. The structure retained its cap, middle section and base, allowing it to be identified as a complete example of the historic markers.
The council said the visual updates were intended to help Gambians recognise the pillars as the country worked to consolidate its national boundary.
“As The Gambia moves towards consolidating its National Boundary for sustained development, social cohesion and good neighborliness, the NCAC brings you a pictorial/visual description of the boundary pillars to help you recognize and protect them,” the council stated.
The exercise forms part of the NCAC’s public information efforts around the boundary demarcation process, in which it says it plays a key role. In a further update issued on 12 October 2026, the NCAC presented five examples of boundary pillars and related markers to help the public identify their different forms and conditions.
The first was a colonial boundary pillar with its base and middle section intact but missing its cap. The marker was found near Fofu in Kombo East.
The second image showed a secondary pillar erected between existing colonial boundary pillars. The council described the process as “densification”, which helps make boundary markers easier to identify.
The third example was an uprooted colonial boundary pillar, including its base, found near Duassu village.
The fourth showed a colonial boundary pillar with only its base remaining near Sohm village.
The fifth featured a newly constructed pillar placed next to an existing colonial boundary pillar at Dimbaya to make the historic marker easier to identify.
The council said the latest update came as the first phase of the Boundary Commission’s work approached completion.
Through the series of updates, the NCAC has sought to draw public attention to the historical markers, their physical condition and the importance of identifying and protecting them as part of The Gambia’s national boundary.