By: Fatou Krubally
The Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice (EFSCRJ) has issued a pointed call to President Adama Barrow to shift his administration’s focus from infrastructure to good governance, warning that roads and buildings alone cannot drive national development without transparency, accountability, and respect for the rule of law.
In a public statement released on its official Facebook page, the EFSCRJ acknowledged the Gambia Government’s heavy investments in infrastructure from roads and hospitals to schools and energy projects funded through both state coffers and multi-million dollar donor support.
However, the rights group expressed grave concern over what it described as “erratic and expensive” service delivery and widespread corruption across public institutions.
“We are hugely disturbed by the incidents of poor service delivery across all sectors,” the statement reads, citing delays in key infrastructure projects such as the OIC roads and the University of The Gambia Faraba campus, as well as the questionable quality of the multi-billion-dalasi Banjul roads.
The Centre warned that despite the visible signs of development, Gambians continue to grapple with high living costs, joblessness, and deteriorating public services symptoms it attributes to weak governance.
“Public goods such as roads and services… will not make a difference when the governance environment is weak,” the group stated, pointing out that previous administrations also pursued grand infrastructure without addressing systemic issues.
Recalling past regimes, the EFSCRJ noted that both former presidents Jawara and Jammeh built significant structures from the national stadium to the UTG but failed to deliver sustainable development due to poor management and governance. “By the time Jammeh left, a lot of the roads, schools, hospitals and bridges his regime built were either dilapidated or running down… precisely because of his poor governance posture,” the group emphasized.
Calling 2025 “The Year of Transparency and Accountability,” the EFSCRJ urged President Barrow to reaffirm his commitment to good governance, highlighting the urgent need for the full implementation of anti-corruption laws, judicial independence, fiscal transparency, and protection of human rights.
They stressed that strong institutions and respect for the rule of law remain the missing links in The Gambia’s development journey. “The Gambia’s future depends on leadership that prioritizes the people’s welfare above all else,” the statement concluded.
