Gambian opposition leader Essa Mbye Faal has delivered a fierce critique of President Adama Barrow’s administration, accusing it of corruption, incompetence, and a lack of seriousness in addressing the country’s challenges.
Speaking at a recent political gathering, Faal described the Barrow-led government as “lazy and deceitful,” arguing that the worsening living standards in the Gambia are the result of poor governance and misplaced priorities.
“The Barrow-led government is lazy and doesn’t care about Gambians,” Faal told his supporters. “The wish of any country should be to train its youthful population to meet job demands and later export them. If you go to New York City, most of their doctors are Nigerians that’s the pride of Nigeria. Instead of sending our sons to Spain to cut mangos and oranges, we should be training them to become doctors, engineers, plumbers, tailors, and mechanics.”
The leader of the APP-Sobeya party urged Gambians to hold the government accountable and demand leadership that invests meaningfully in the country’s youth. He pointed to Kenya and Ghana as examples of nations that have successfully benefited from youth empowerment and vocational development.
“Kenya invested in its youths to the point that Germany went there to recruit workers. Bulgaria did the same in Ghana,” he said. “In our case, when foreign countries come to recruit, they only take a few students from hotel schools a very small number. We could be like East Africa or Ghana if we truly invested in our young people.”
Faal also took aim at the government’s management of infrastructure projects, accusing officials of awarding contracts to foreign companies that prioritise profits over quality.
“Imagine giving a foreigner a road construction project and expecting them to build it to our standards,” he said. “Their only goal is profit. That’s why if you go to Bijilo and see the newly built OIC roads, they look like swimming pools.”
He further accused government officials of corruption in land allocation, alleging that several properties in areas like Brufut Heights have been registered under false names.
“We are investigating all these acts,” Faal revealed. “You can hide as much as you want, but the truth will come out. Many of these lands bear different registration names, but we’ll find out who the real owners are. It’s going to be an interesting time in 2026.”
Faal’s remarks come as the APP-Sobeya party intensifies its campaign efforts ahead of the next election, positioning itself as an alternative to the Barrow administration, which has faced mounting criticism over governance, economic hardship, and allegations of corruption.
