By: Momodou Gagigo
President Adama Barrow has declared his determination to capture all five constituencies in the Foni region in the 2026 elections, promising unprecedented development while sharply criticizing community leaders who failed to show up during his ongoing “Meet the People” tour in the West Coast Region.
The president’s visit to Bondali on Saturday combined praise for his administration’s rural infrastructure push with pointed rebukes for what officials called a disappointing turnout by some local imams and alkalos. The tension peaked when West Coast Region Deputy Governor Musa Amul Nyassi publicly scolded absent village heads, reminding them they now receive monthly allowances – a first in Gambian history – yet could not muster the “energy” to welcome the president.
President Barrow did not mince words. “My government does not discriminate,” he told the crowd. “I have centralized development even in communities that do not support me.” He contrasted his eight years in office with the previous regime, noting that for the last 50 years, only three villages in the area had received electricity, while his administration had connected more than 7. “Admit it: leadership is needed for development and unity,” he said, adding that former president Yahya Jammeh, whose support base remains strong in parts of Foni, “will never return to The Gambia.”
Agriculture Minister Demba Sabally echoed the sentiment, telling residents bluntly: “Yahya Jammeh will never be president again.” He credited Barrow with delivering more development since 2017 than Foni had seen in decades.
Despite the political barbs, residents warmly received the president’s focus on tangible projects. Barrow inspected the 10.2 km EPC Lot 4 feeder road linking Kalagi, Kanmanka, Bondali Jola, and Sangajorr Darsilami, now 73 percent complete. Once finished, the road will ease access to markets, schools, and health centers, boosting trade and village connectivity.
Local youth and farmers lined up to express gratitude and present new demands. Bondali Meeting Youth Coordinator hailed Barrow’s “unprecedented road development” and requested a recreational center, mini-stadium, and rehabilitation of the Bondali-Bambarra road. Farmer representative Omar Ceesay Joreng praised agricultural support programs and asked for a groundnut market, subsidized fertilizer, and tractors.
Traditional leaders and council members also weighed in. Chief Junkung Camara and Council Chairman Omar M. Drammeh urged continued loyalty to Barrow, while Lady Councillor Rohey Bojang called for fenced gardens and school buses to empower women. National Assembly Member Amie Colley stressed that Foni had rejected Jammeh, and Tourism Minister Hamat MK Bah compared Gambia’s progress under Barrow to that of Kenya and Senegal.
The tour’s final stop was the nearly completed Lot 2 of the University of The Gambia’s Faraba Banta Campus (80 percent finished), scheduled for inauguration on December 27. Barrow said the campus would transform higher education opportunities for Gambian youth.
Wrapping up in Bondali, the president issued a bold pledge: “The development you couldn’t get in fifty years, you will have before I leave office.” He insisted peace was the foundation for progress and vowed to sweep every Foni constituency in 2026, telling supporters: “Let development campaign for us.”
As the “Meet the People” tour gathers momentum ahead of next year’s presidential election, President Barrow’s mix of infrastructure promises and uncompromising rhetoric has put both his achievements and Foni’s lingering political divisions squarely in the national spotlight.
