By Buba Gagigo
President Adama Barrow has told UN General Assembly (UNGA) that his government’s goal is to recover and grow the economy of the Gambia, transform digitally and consolidate the democratic gains.
“Our goal is to recover and grow our economy. Transform digitally and consolidate our democratic gains. Our resolve is to uplift people from poverty, secure their livelihoods and create new avenues to transition into a prosperous, peaceful and stable nation because the youth and women from the greater majority of our population the Government will continue to empower them,” he said in his address to the 77th UN General Assembly on Thursday.
Barrow said following the 2021 presidential election and legislative elections earlier this year, the consolidation process is gaining momentum.
He assured to step up reforming and strengthening the national institutions to sustain a robust democracy, where human rights and fundamental freedoms underpin the national policies, programmes and development efforts.
“As we prepare to end the current electoral cycle with the 2023 local government elections, we are proud that the Gambia now have multiple political parties and vibrant civil society organizations with a sharp raise in public participation in national affairs.
“Amid socio-economic challenges, our nation characterized by reduced tourism engagements, inflation, food and energy insecurity and modest economic growth. We are developing a new national development plan NDP 2022 to 2026 to succeed the current NDP,” President Barrow said.
The Gambian leader said with this new plan, they seek to advance their pursuit of national priorities, including the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2063 of the African Union.
“We therefore, solicit the support of the UN system as well as our friends and development partners,” he concluded.