By Buba Gagigo
Talib Ahmed Bensouda, the Mayor of Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC), has publicly called on President Adama Barrow to step down after serving ten years in office, citing the nation’s struggling economy and the risks of leaders losing touch with reality if they stay in power for too long.
Bensouda, who is also the Organizing Secretary of the United Democratic Party (UDP), made these remarks during his appearance on Kerr Fatou on Thursday.
“I think they are suffering from out-of-touch syndrome, and this is why ten years is enough. I will emphasize that, because once you start doing more than ten years, remember, the State House is a bubble. You are in a gated compound; everything is provided. Anybody who wants to see you is because you want to see them; the people who surround you most of the time are sycophants who want to protect their own individual interests. But at the State House, for the most part, people will come there and tell you that everything is great—how amazing you are, how handsome you are, how beautiful you are, how divine you are. They create rosy pictures, especially when they know the truth hurts you, and you don’t want to hear it, especially when it’s a negative truth. And then, the longer you stay there, you begin to live in a bubble,” Bensouda remarked.
He highlighted his own role as Mayor as a key learning experience, stressing the importance of staying connected to the people. “I don’t decide who comes to my office, and if you come to my office, I don’t have a way to escape you. The only way I can escape you is to walk past you, and I cannot do that. So it is very important for our head of state to be in touch”
Bensouda further claimed that 90% of Gambians are struggling, regardless of appearances.”I can tell you that for a fact. Even people who look like they’re doing well are not doing well.”
Addressing the nation’s economy, the KMC Mayor voiced serious concerns about the Gambia’s reliance on remittances, which account for 30% of its GDP. He warned of the dangers posed by this dependency, especially in light of global conflicts like those in Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine, which could disrupt food imports.
“Now you look at the Gambia as a country, and you talk about its economy. First of all, let’s talk about our GDP, our gross domestic product, 30% of which comes from remittances, basically diasporas feeding their families from abroad. There is no productive base to feed the population. Almost 90% of food is imported; imagine we are growing a population based on imported food. We have a war in Israel, or Gaza. We have a war in Ukraine. What if a regional war breaks out? What if a world war breaks out? And now, more than ever, we are closest to a third world war since the Cold War in the 1970s. We are growing a population, our population growth is based on imported food, so we don’t have food security. So, if there is a global crisis, we will die of starvation. Because people are going to be worrying about their populations, they’re not going to export, and COVID showed us that,” he said.
On the national budget, Bensouda noted that the Gambia generates D19 billion in tax revenue, while expenditures reach D38 billion. “The gap is filled by borrowing and grants, but these won’t last forever, especially in times of global shocks. We’re paying D3 billion in loan interest alone, with debt ballooning from D48 billion during the Yahya Jammeh era to D111 billion in just seven years.”
He questioned the government’s claims of robust economic growth, citing inflation rates far outpacing growth. “They talk about 6% or 7% growth, but when inflation for goods is 16% and food inflation is 20%, are we really growing? These are simple figures, and they show that the Gambia is in deep crisis. Even a minor global issue could be disastrous for us,” Bensouda concluded.
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