Rohey Lowe Rallies Women Behind UDP, Predicts Darboe Victory in December

By Seedy Jobe

Banjul Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe has called on Gambian women to play a leading role in the United Democratic Party’s push for power, arguing that women have been central to the party’s three-decade political struggle and will be crucial to its electoral ambitions.

Speaking on Saturday at the UDP’s 30th anniversary celebration at Brikama SSP, Lowe paid tribute to some of the party’s pioneering women, including Soffie Conteh, Sukai Dahaba, Nogoi Njie and Ramou Jallow, whom she credited with helping lay the foundation for the party.

Lowe said some of those early supporters may not live to see the UDP form a government, but their efforts had paved the way for a new generation of women to continue the struggle.

The Banjul mayor expressed confidence that the party was approaching a historic political breakthrough, predicting that UDP leader ANM Ousainu Darboe would emerge victorious in the presidential election alongside the party’s coalition partners.

“On the 5th of December, Darboe will be declared the winner,” Lowe told supporters.

Much of Lowe’s address focused on the economic pressures facing Gambian women, whom she described as being among those most affected by the country’s persistent challenges.

She pointed to frequent electricity outages as an example, saying women working in gardens and markets often depend on refrigeration to preserve tomatoes and other perishable produce. Unreliable electricity, she argued, can result in significant losses for small-scale traders and farmers.

Lowe also said power outages were affecting students, arguing that children cannot study effectively when households are left without electricity at night. She challenged efforts to place responsibility for poor academic performance primarily on teachers, saying broader problems, including unreliable electricity, must also be considered.

The mayor pledged that a UDP-led government would seek to expand women’s economic opportunities and increase their participation in public procurement. She said women currently account for only a small proportion of those benefiting from procurement opportunities and urged them to use their votes to demand a greater share of the country’s economic resources.

Lowe also appealed to farmers, citing delays in payments to farmers in Jokadou as an example of what she described as shortcomings in the government’s handling of the agricultural sector.

She argued that farming can be a significant source of wealth when producers have access to modern machinery, financing, and other resources, but said many Gambian farmers continue to operate without adequate equipment and support.

Lowe concluded by urging women and UDP supporters to remain calm, united, and focused as the party moves toward the presidential election.