President Barrow Addresses National Assembly

As mandated under the constitution of The Gambia, The president Adama Barrow addresses the deputies at the national assembly on Thursday 19th September 2019. The state of the nation address by the president to the nation is an annual event when the president is required to table his government’s issues of concerns for further consultations and engagement with stakeholders.

The president’s address is undertaken pursuant to section 77 one of the 1997 constitution which demonstrates the president’s commitment to the rule of law and to ensuring that all organs of the state work in unison and harmony for the collective wellbeing of every Gambian.

In his introductory remarks, the president said that In view of the numerous events that happened within the 2018 Legislative Year, his address yesterday was a concise account of his government’s performance during the course of the year. He said that it focuses on key achievements, legislative frameworks, policy concerns and other matters of national significance.

The government he said attaches great importance to every public institution and sector because any sector that fails to perform well, could undermine the performance of other sectors and the nation at large. With this, his address focused and discussed each sector, beginning with the economy, as he said is the backbone of our development framework.

He indicated that the national development must be all-inclusive, that is it should be filtered down to all citizens. He was confident that this would happen, proclaiming 2019 as a turning point in The Gambia’s development process. He said even though 2019 has not ended yet, the catalogue of events, the projects, development initiatives, results and proposed interventions mentioned in my address justify the proclamation.

A review of 2019 he said shows unprecedented developments across the country’s multimillion projects, especially in very deprived areas from Banjul to the URR, attest to this. “The economic support, including the budget support from the International community; the 50% salary increase for workers across all cadres of the Public Service; the100% pay increase for pensioners ;the cash support to needy families, and the availability and affordability of food throughout the country have reached, directly or indirectly, all citizens in the country,” he said. The provision of social amenities, with increased and steady supply of electricity and water, he said has made social life amicable for all. He said the appearance of old and new political parties to partake in the very cordial political climate reflects“The New Gambia” in progress. Through the TRRC, victims and bereaved families he said are coming to terms with their plight or the loss of their loved ones, and offenders are reconciling with their victims and themselves. “The effect of democracy, good governance and the economic situation brought about by my government has penetrated the entire Gambian society ,and has reached every community, every institution, every organization, every citizen and every resident in the country,” said Barrow. The reforms, plans and achievements mean that things will get brighter and better.

VOD will publish the full address for public consumption