By Adama Makasuba

President Adama Barrow has said his re-election is a vote of confidence as he begins his second term mandate in office.

Speaking at his inauguration ceremony held at the national Independence Stadium on Wednesday, he said: “Today, we can comfortably conclude that my re-election for another five years is a vote of confidence in my government, a vote of acknowledgement of my achievements, a vote of endorsement of the path we have undertaken to follow, and a vote of acceptance of the democratic principles and values we stand for.

“It is also a vote of appreciation of who we are as a people and how we have branded ourselves, as well as a vote of willingness of the people to come together and work together to pursue our dreams and aspirations. In short, it is a vote of hope and reassurance, a rejection of division and oppression, and a new legitimate mandate for me as President and Head of State of the Republic of The Gambia,” he added

“Many friends of The Gambia, development partners and well-wishers, both within the country and outside, supported our development efforts over the years, particularly from 2017 to date. The contributions of such goodwill partners, friends, neighbours, and collaborators during our transition period facilitated our political, social and economic development achievements. We remain grateful to every one of them, and reassure them of our commitment to strengthen the ties that bind us,” he stated.

He also promised to ensure his administration attain the universal electricity coverage for the whole country.

“With the Soma substation and other energy generation points, we have the potentials to attain universal access to electricity in the country during the next five years. This is our target and nothing less as regard social service delivery,” he said.