By: Sulayman Waan
Mambanyick Njie, Public Relation Officer for the Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC) has said that President Barrow-led administration has lost track from day one, saying it doesn’t satisfy the masses to expectation.
“The moment Barrow swore in office his primary objective was how to enshrine his power so as to go for a second term but not to think of national development. Development is something that Gambians fought for in the 2016,” he told The Voice in an exclusive interview at Westfield on Friday February 1.
Njie, also the secretary for propaganda and information for GDC said this government has not done anything tangible that improves the lives of Gambians.
“So many people are talking about the Senegambia Bridge but it was initiated by the former ruling APRC government,” he said.
On Youth
The former permanent secretary at ministry of Youth and Sports said the government is just promising youths but it does not provide the necessary things to promote youth employment in the country.
“You cannot guarantee youth development when you cannot guarantee their employment. The only way youth employment can be guaranteed is by focusing on the economics’ productive sector such as agriculture, fisheries and industrial development. This can create the necessary jobs the country needs,” he noted.
He noted that if the government initiated a national programme for self- sufficiency in chicken whereby about two thousands and eight hundreds train youths are given each a poultry farm of 1000 chickens, then government will be able to attain food security for the masses.
On farming
“Gambian farmers are the poorest because it is an exterior force that is determining the price of a ton of ground for the country,” he said. While suggesting government to transform the Gambia Groundnut Corporation (GGC) into a groundnut oil processing center so that any groundnut produce in the country will be sold to GGC to process and sold back to Gambians.
He added that when the GGC is re-strategized it will advance the farming sector and raise the youth employment rate.
He recommended that government to establish milk processing factories so as support the cattle farmers, saying livestock farmers are producing copious milk but their market is poor.
“Government needs to invest on gardens and the fishing industry so as to ensure food security and close the unemployment rate,” he said.
PRO Njie argued that Barrow’s government is not serious on addressing Gambians concern but is more concern on keeping themselves in power as well as to make money for themselves.
“If the government was serious it would have focus on the transitional work to carry out its institutional reforms to empower the public enterprises to deliver better for us [Gambians] to know they [government] are serious,” Njie revealed.
