Alhagie Mamadi Kurang, one of the rising figures in the United Democratic Party, has taken aim at President Adama Barrow’s economic stewardship, accusing the government of piling up unsustainable debt while failing to deliver matching development results.
Addressing supporters at a UDP rally in Essau on Thursday, Kurang backed the leadership of Lawyer Ousainou arboe but reserved strong criticism for the administration’s financial policies. He warned that Gambia’s debt has climbed at a pace he believes outstrips anything seen under former presidents Dawda Jawara and Yahya Jammeh.
According to Kurang, the rapid growth of borrowing over the past nine years should alarm Gambians. He argued that the Barrow government has accumulated debt levels equivalent to what both previous administrations combined took on during their decades in office.
He said the usual justification from State House is that the money has gone into road construction, but he questioned whether the public is actually seeing results that reflect the scale of the borrowing. Kurang urged Gambians to take a closer look at the government’s narrative and assess whether the administration can point to concrete progress.
He challenged claims that the current government has spearheaded the country’s major road developments, saying the backbone of the national highway network was already in place before Barrow’s presidency. “Most roads of the highways were constructed before their term ends,” he said, referring to the Jawara and Jammeh eras.
Kurang called on citizens to press the president on what he considers measurable achievements. “People should ask President Adama Barrow what progress his government has done for The Gambia,” he told the crowd.
As the country moves toward the 2026 presidential race, Kurang closed his remarks with a firm declaration of the UDP’s position on term limits, saying the party will oppose any attempt by President Barrow to seek a third term.
The comments signal a sharper offensive from the UDP as it seeks to draw clear contrasts with the ruling National People’s Party, anchoring its message on economic accountability and what it sees as the government’s failure to match borrowing with meaningful development.
