By Makutu Manneh
Talib Ahmed Bensouda, the mayor of the Kanifing Municipal Council and leader of the opposition UNITE Party, said this week that reducing the cost of living and restoring public safety would be the defining priorities of his presidency if he wins the country’s next election, framing both as urgent crises that the current government has failed to address.
Speaking in an interview in Atlanta, Mr. Bensouda laid out a three-point agenda he said his administration would pursue within its first 100 days in office—one centered on economic relief for ordinary Gambians, a crackdown on violent crime, and sweeping constitutional reforms he described as long overdue.
“Every day there are murders, killings, and armed robberies,” Mr. Bensouda said, describing the security situation in blunt terms and pledging that his government would invest in policing and work to make communities safer.
The cost of living, he argued, is the single most pressing concern for most Gambians today. Soaring prices of basic goods have strained household budgets across the country, and Mr. Bensouda said bringing those prices down would be among his administration’s first and highest-priority acts. He did not offer specific policy mechanisms but said the UNITE Party would release a detailed manifesto in the coming weeks.
His third priority—constitutional and democratic reform—reflects a broader debate in Gambian politics that has persisted since the end of Yahya Jammeh’s authoritarian rule nearly a decade ago. Mr. Bensouda called the current constitution outdated and insufficiently democratic, and said Gambians were increasingly demanding that future leaders be held to firmer term limits and greater accountability.
He acknowledged the inherent uncertainty of governing, but expressed confidence that at least some of his goals were within immediate reach.
“We are going to do our maximum effort because once you enter office, you don’t know what to find there, but certainly with the legislative changes, these are achievable,” he said.
Mr. Bensouda has served as mayor of the Kanifing Municipal Council, one of the country’s most populous local government areas, and has used that platform to build his national profile ahead of a presidential run. His UNITE Party has positioned itself as an alternative to both the ruling party and more established opposition factions.
The timing of the next presidential election and the formal field of candidates have yet to be finalized, but Mr. Bensouda’s Atlanta remarks signal that his campaign is moving into a more active phase. Officials said the party’s manifesto, once released, would provide a fuller account of how his administration intended to finance and implement its promised agenda.
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