Gambia is in a difficult period, which reflects on many aspects of our political, social, and economic lives, in a country, poor management, financial irregularities, and poor leadership, have taken its toll on common citizens.
Young Gambians aged between 25and 35, do not have regular employment, in the abysmal gap between the backwardness of the rural and urban population.
Apart from financial irregularities, the challenges Gambia faces today attributes to the strong indebtedness of the country, the poor development of the industry and above all the unequal distribution of resources.
Most of the resources grant and loan are firmly in the hands of a few multinational exploiters, therefore, the common Gambians don’t actually benefit from the treasures of the country.
In Gambia, 65% of the territory is agricultural but the gap between rural areas and large cities is widening.
It must be said that good results are difficult to achieve with tax revenue of only. A satisfactory management and control policy is still lacking in this aspect.
Urbanization, which is growing at a very fast rate leads to economic and commercial progress, however, it creates new pockets of extreme poverty and a mass of underprivileged people, who pour into slums in conditions below the subsistence threshold.
There are many places throughout Gambia, struggling to have water, good medical facilities, and proper roads and like every city without employment for most of the youth, prostitution and gang warfare are at stake. The reason prostitution is common.
The reality of these decades has been a little different. Political opportunism, the desire for power, the sale of land and resources, and the desire to get rich behind the population, have created a weak governance structure in Gambia.
Despite the impact of tribalism and nepotism in some areas, Gambians always remain united. We wish they will always remain the same because what a country loses through violence, whether casualties or property, costs a lot of money or can’t be replaced.
It is likely that some regions in Gambia are not receiving a fair share of national resources, therefore, poverty is heavy in such regions.
Resources in Gambia are for Gambians, not for multinational exploiters, therefore, it must be used to develop the country, without the neglection of any region. This will build a strong foundation of peace in the country than what Gambians enjoy now.