Brikama Area Council Chairman Yankuba Darboe has launched a strong rebuke of the Gambian government, blaming it for the country’s deepening economic challenges, widespread mismanagement, and failures in key sectors such as tourism and agriculture.
Speaking at a recent political gathering in Farato village, Darboe claimed that the current administration has mishandled public resources and presided over policies that have directly contributed to rising poverty and a weakening Gambian Dalasi.
Reflecting on his 2023 campaign for the Chairmanship, Darboe said he had exposed corruption and poor governance within the Brikama Area Council under previous leadership. However, he insisted that the problems at the national level are far more serious.
“If there were potholes in Brikama Area Council, the State House has far bigger holes which have consumed the Gambian Dalasi to the extent that it lost its value compared to other currencies in the world,” he told supporters.
Darboe attributed the decline of the tourism sector once a pillar of the Gambian economy to what he described as government greed and exploitative airport practices. He criticised The Gambia’s airport policies, contrasting them with neighboring countries.
“In Sierra Leone, Senegal, Mali, Guinea/Bissau and Conakry, all they ask for is your passport. In The Gambia, the first thing they ask for is money. That’s why the tourists did not come,” he said.
The BAC chairman also accused the government of worsening living conditions through poor policy decisions. He pointed to the high cost of basic commodities and the delayed payment for farmers’ groundnuts as evidence of state failure.
“In Numi Bakalar, people told us their groundnuts taken to SECCOSS have not been paid for from one rainy season to another. With such a situation, how can this country develop?” he asked.
Darboe also criticised the appointment of the current Minister of Agriculture, claiming the official lacks practical knowledge of the field. “How can we have a caretaker from America who claims to have a doctorate but cannot distinguish between maize and millet?” he said.
In a sharp critique of President Adama Barrow’s leadership, Darboe referenced a recent statement attributed to the president about leadership struggles, saying, “The president has allowed the fathers with knowledge to alight, and now he himself cannot drive the vehicle.”
Darboe encouraged supporters to prepare for the 2026 general elections, urging them to respond to criticism by pointing out what he described as deeper flaws in the central government.
On his own administration’s performance, the BAC chairman reported improvements. He said the council has generated over D42 million since taking office, closed financial loopholes, provided scholarships to more than 900 students, and procured heavy-duty vehicles for public services.
He attributed this progress to internal reforms and his party’s leadership, adding that more development is expected “because our father [Ousainou Darboe] is not at the State House.”
