Mayor Bensouda urges Gov’t partnership as he takes oath for his 2nd term in office
Re-elect Lord Mayor of the Kanifing Municipal Council, Talib Ahmed Bensouda has called onthe Gambia Government to be the Council’s partner and collaborators as he focuses to the next four years term.
He assured that they (the Municipal Council) will do their utmost to work with the government so that together, they can demonstrate to the people that, through unity, they can deliver even faster development.
Mayor Bensouda was speaking immediately taking oath for his second term in office at a swearing-in ceremony held at the KMC Headquarters on Saturday which was graced by UDP supporters and other foreign bodies.
“To serve our people better and more efficiently, we will also seek to realize the changes to the relevant legislation so that the council can be granted more autonomy.
We invite the government to let go of more authority to KMC so that we can ease its development burden. This will enable the government to focus more on increase its oversight function, to guide us, and to assist us increase our with more capacity to serve our people,” he stated.
Mayor Bensouda unveiled that his next term planswould focus on road infrastructure development within the municipality, development of a low cost municipal bus transport service, to construct affordable housing to ease the congestion and rent burden of the less privileged.
He advanced that his plans includes to mechanize and process waste at the Bakoteh Dump site,to expand market infrastructure, to increase youth engagement and participation in development and to establish a public information office to provide guidance to residents of KM.
He noted that they will continue to ask for more decentralization of functions from the central government in order to take more responsibility for the needs of the people of KM.
Furthermore,FatouJanneh-Jallow, Councilor for Bakau-New Town Fajara Ward was subsequently voted unanimously as theDeputy Mayor of the Municipal Council.
The occasion also witnessed the swearing-in ceremony of 19 United Democratic Party’s (UDP) elected councilors of the various wards within the Kanifing Municipal Council.
