By Aja Beyai
In an unprecedented milestone for local governance and community development, Brikama Area Council Chairman Yankuba Darboe on Saturday officially opened three brand-new community markets in Jamwelly, Brufut New Town, and Tintinto – all in one day.
The trading facilities, constructed through a tripartite partnership between CASA Gambia, Brikama Area Council (BAC), and Dutch donor organisation Wilde Ganzen, represent a significant leap forward in providing safe, dignified trading spaces for hundreds of women vendors across the West Coast Region.
Speaking at the colourful inauguration ceremony held in Jamwelly, Chairman Darboe described the occasion as “truly historic.”
“This is the first time in the history of Brikama Area Council that we are commissioning three markets on the same day,” he declared. “We are immensely proud and deeply grateful to CASA Gambia and our partners in the Netherlands for turning this vision into reality.”
The council demonstrated its strong commitment by contributing a total of D3 million in counterpart funding – D1 million per market – following the award of competitive contracts earlier this year.
Darboe stressed that the primary beneficiaries are women traders who previously sold their agricultural and horticultural produce along dangerous roadside verges.
“Our core mission is to empower women,” he said. “These markets give mothers proper stalls, secure pathways, and sanitary facilities so they can trade safely, earn decent incomes, support their families, and contribute to the local economy without risking their lives beside speeding vehicles.”
CASA Gambia Chief Executive Officer Ebrima Jatta underscored the strategic focus on women as the cornerstone of sustainable community development.
“You cannot develop any community without empowering its mothers,” Jatta told the cheering crowd. He urged newly formed market management committees and Village Development Committees to introduce modest daily or weekly user fees to ensure long-term maintenance and sustainability of the facilities.
Vendors and community leaders who attended the ribbon-cutting events expressed overwhelming joy at the modern stalls, shaded resting areas, toilet blocks, and fenced perimeters that replace the makeshift roadside setups of the past.
Located in Jamwelly (Jabang Ward), Brufut New Town, and Tintinto (both in Brufut Ward), the three markets are already buzzing with activity and promise to become vital economic hubs for the surrounding villages.
Chairman Darboe concluded by pledging continued collaboration with development partners, reaffirming BAC’s dedication to inclusive infrastructure that puts women and local traders first.
