By Sainabou Sambou
President Adama Barrow has reaffirmed his government’s commitment to infrastructure development, declaring that roads, health facilities, schools, electricity and other public works are essential to transforming The Gambia.
Speaking on Thursday, August 13, 2026, during a tour of ongoing and completed projects in the Upper River Region (URR), the President inspected several road works, inaugurated a six-kilometer road in Garawol and laid the foundation stone for a further 24 kilometers. He also officially handed over and inaugurated the newly completed Governor’s Residence and Office in Basse.
“You can’t have development without infrastructure,” President Barrow said while reflecting on the significance of the new facility. He stressed that governors, as the President’s direct representatives at the regional level, require a conducive environment to perform their duties effectively.
“These are our regional administrators. Governor is a big responsibility. The governor is directly representing the President at the regional level. Their welfare and their environment should be conducive,” he said.
The President noted that a similar facility had already been completed in Mansakonko and that the government intends to replicate the initiative in other regions, including Brikama. “We want to make sure that the governors are well accommodated,” he added. The new buildings are also meant to encourage regional governors to live and work in their respective areas rather than remain in the Greater Banjul Area.
President Barrow described the Governor’s Residence and Office as part of a broader national effort to modernize the country. “We are trying to modernize the entire Gambia. We are building roads, we are doing electricity, we are doing health—that is medical facilities—schools, you name it,” he said.
Acknowledging the limited resources available, he said the government has adopted innovative approaches to keep development programs on track. He highlighted the use of local contractors and resources, pointing to the Governor’s Residence as an example. “The contractor is a Gambian, so everything is Gambian here. We are looking inwards now; everything is about the local. Resources are local, the contractor is local, and the plan and everything is local, so the whole money remains in the country,” he said.
Calling the ongoing works evidence of progress, President Barrow urged citizens to support the national development drive. “This means Gambia is moving. Gambia is growing. And we are calling on every Gambian to come and join this crusade. The end of the tunnel is very, very bright,” he said.
As part of the tour, the President inspected the 12.18-kilometer Manneh Kunda–Demba Kunda–Numuyel Road, which forms part of the ongoing 74.5-kilometer EPC Lot 1 Roads Project in the Upper River Region. He also visited the Basse–Dampha Kunda–Tambasansang Road, where foundation and drainage works have been completed, and concrete road construction is advancing. On the 27-kilometer Sutukoba–Chamoi Bunda Road, groundwork is nearing completion while drainage works continue. Construction is also progressing on the Santusu–Basse–Manneh Kunda stretch, with teams preparing the roadbed, laying the foundation and beginning concrete works.
During the road inspection in Basse, National Roads Authority Managing Director Sulayman Suwareh outlined measures to manage water flow and reduce erosion. He explained that a significant volume of water passes through the area during rainfall, prompting the construction of an additional downstream culvert. “All the volume of water that will be coming through here, now, a good portion of it is going to the other side,” he said. Water breakers are being installed to slow the flow, and guardrails and handrails will be fitted around open gutters for safety, particularly to protect children. Gaps will be filled and rocks placed strategically as check dams to reduce erosive force further.
Later in Garawol in the Kantora District, President Barrow inaugurated the six-kilometer road and laid the foundation for the additional 24 kilometers. At a joint meeting there, he also handed over an ambulance to the Suduwol community to improve access to emergency and other healthcare services.
