By Seedy Jobe
The Mayor of Banjul and President of REFELA Africa, Rohey Malick Lowe, has officially unveiled a nationwide initiative to construct 15 modern boreholes aimed at improving access to water for women and their communities across The Gambia.
The project, dubbed Water for Women in The Gambia, is expected to directly benefit more than 30,000 women involved in garden cultivation, significantly easing the burden of water access and enhancing livelihoods in rural and peri-urban communities.
Announcing the initiative in a statement shared on her social media platforms, Mayor Lowe described the project as the realization of a long-standing commitment to address the challenges faced by women.
“This undertaking represents far more than infrastructure; it is the fulfillment of a solemn commitment,” she said. “As a woman, a mother, your mayor, and President of REFELA Africa, I pledged to listen to the challenges faced by our women and translate that understanding into meaningful action.”
She highlighted the hardships endured by women and girls in accessing water, noting that many are forced to travel long distances under difficult conditions, often at the expense of their education, health, and time.
“We have heard the narratives of resilience, of daughters and sisters traversing long distances under arduous conditions, often at the expense of education, health, and valuable time, to secure a most fundamental human need”.
Mayor Lowe expressed gratitude to several partners who supported the initiative, including Trust Bank Gambia Ltd., Wave The Gambia, Sahel Bank BSIC Ltd., and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in The Gambia.
She assured beneficiary communities that the project represents an initial phase of a broader effort to expand access to essential infrastructure nationwide.
“We wish to assure all communities surveyed that this marks a progressive first phase. Our dedicated work continues to extend this essential infrastructure to all identified areas”, she noted.
Emphasizing the project’s non-political nature, Mayor Lowe said the completed boreholes would be placed under the management of Village Development Committees (VDCs) to promote sustainability and community ownership.
“In the spirit of sustainable and community-owned development, and to ensure this initiative remains a non-political asset for universal empowerment, the completed boreholes will be entrusted to the custodianship of the respective Village Development Committees (VDCs)”, she highlighted.
Mayor Lowe underscored that “empowering women is synonymous with empowering our entire nation.” The project is scheduled to be officially inaugurated on January 30, 2026, at the Banjul City Council.
The beneficiary communities include Brufut, Basori, Fonio Bodali, Kinteh Kunda Marong Kunda, Nyabou Kunda, Lowen, Kerr Jawara, Sancha Njugor Njie, Pinai, Sami Misira, Barrow Kunda, Jasong, Mbayen, Bureng, and Kanikuda, spanning the West Coast Region, North Bank Region, Central River Region, and Lower River Region.
Comments are closed.