By Mahmoud Kongira
President Adama Barrow has called on the people of Foni to prioritise national development over regional or kinship ties, as he launched the second leg of his 2025 Meet-the-People-Tour in the West Coast Region on Saturday.
Speaking at a meeting in Foni Bondali, President Barrow urged residents to back his development agenda, stressing that his government delivers services across the country without discrimination. He contrasted this approach with previous regimes, where development was often linked to political loyalty. “In the past, development was given to areas based on political support. But in my government, we develop every part of the country regardless of political affiliation, as long as all Gambians pay taxes,” he said.
Rejecting the notion that Foni is naturally an opposition stronghold, he reminded residents that the region had supported former leaders Sir Dawda Jawara and Yahya Jammeh in their respective tenures. He encouraged them to support his administration as well. Highlighting the transient nature of political power, Barrow reminded residents that all leaders eventually leave office, including himself, because “the country belongs to the Gambian people, not to any individual.”
Referring to former President Yahya Jammeh, he urged residents to move past the belief that Jammeh could return to power. “He was your son who became president, but he will never be president again until the end of the world,” he said, urging them to “join my bus” and support his developmental programmes.
President Barrow outlined a series of projects his government has implemented in Foni, describing them as unprecedented in the region’s history. He noted that in Foni Jarrol, only three villages had electricity for over fifty years, but his government has electrified seven villages, with four more in the pipeline. In Foni Bondali, five villages had electricity in fifty years, yet thirteen have now been electrified, with ten additional villages planned. Similarly, in Foni Kansala, five villages had electricity for half a century, but twelve have been electrified under his administration, leaving twenty-two more planned for future expansion.
The president further stated that over the past eight years, his government has constructed twenty-four kilometres of roads in Foni, with another eighteen kilometres currently underway. He said these developments stand in stark contrast to the 22 years of leadership under Jammeh, whom he criticised for failing to deliver similar progress to his own home region.
Barrow concluded by assuring the people of Foni that his government was committed to providing them with a level of development they had not experienced in the past fifty years, while maintaining a focus on equitable growth across all regions of The Gambia.
The post President Barrow Urges Foni Residents to Support Progress Over Kinship appeared first on .
By Mahmoud Kongira President Adama Barrow has called on the people of Foni to prioritise national development over regional or…
The post President Barrow Urges Foni Residents to Support Progress Over Kinship appeared first on .
