By Musa S. Sheriff
President Adama Barrow has emphasized that the major concern faced by the Gambia’s in the year 2023 has been irregular migration.
“This is not only a menace, but it also appears to be on the rise, thus putting the lives of more young people at risk,” the Gambian leader said in his New Year message.
He said young people have a very significant role to play in their families, communities, and in national development, “hence we cannot watch them perish with impunity.”
President Barrow stressed that there are opportunities that such young persons can exploit to guarantee them success at home, adding that education and training for skill acquisition are the surest means for the youth to have guaranteed pathways to success and happiness.
“This justifies our renewed focus on education and prioritisationof TVET, as reflected in the 2024 national budget,” he noted.
He urged that the local communities, especially residents along the coastline, must play a more active part in preventing irregular migration, while he calls on family units, friends, and everyone else should be vigilant enough to intercept all potentially dangerous journeys that involve Gambian citizens, either as traffickers, passengers, boat crew, or otherwise.
He revealed that Security Sector Reform, the Civil Service Reform for better national service delivery is in progress.
According to him, these reforms hinge on the realisation that excellent service delivery depends on the quality, efficiency, and disposition of the workers in the public service.
“Another year has elapsed once again, giving way to a new year. As we look forward to 2024, we do so with gratitude to the Almighty God for the blessings and achievements of 2023, and we do so with much optimism as well.
Looking back, since the advent of the Corona virus in 2019, 2023 was by far the most productive year in The Gambia, despite the persistent global economic crises and the inflationary backlash undermining our economies globally. Our international image and ratings confirm this convincingly,” he pointed out.
He stated that during the year, his government registered remarkable successes, particularly, in priority areas of infrastructure development, energy and water provision, education, health, agriculture, and justice delivery, to name a few examples.
“Overall, the country is stable, and there is peace countrywide. Besides the lamentable last September fatal shooting incident that involved three security personnel and a few other cases of murder and suicide, the crime rate in the country has dropped,” President Barrow told compatriots.
“Although inflation has risen to 18%, butt Gambia is faring much better than many other countries, however, we admit its far-reaching impact on the cost of living in the country, especially on the poor. Part of the solution to this challenge lies in stepping up local production to reduce imports and, thus, avoid the cost burden associated with importation,” he pointed out.
He disclosed that his government will continue to subsidiseessential imported commodities, even though this reduces the spending ability on development projects. “Thus, to compensate for this, we must fall back on taxation; that is, taxation purely for inclusive development.”