Barrow Says Decline in Requests for Basic Services Shows Gambia Has Changed

By Makutu Manneh

President Adama Barrow said Thursday that the absence of requests for basic services from communities in Lower Niumi was evidence of what he described as significant development gains under his administration.

Mr. Barrow made the remarks in Passy Chally as he began his 2026 “Meet the People Tour,” an annual tour required under the Constitution that takes the president to communities across the country.

Reflecting on his first such tour after taking office, Mr. Barrow said residents routinely appealed to the government for essential services, including electricity, clean water, roads, schools, and health facilities.

“In 2017, when I came for the Meet the People Tour, any speaker who stood on the podium talked about what they needed, such as electricity, water, roads, schools, hospitals, and many more,” Mr. Barrow said. “But today, I have observed in this Meet the People tour that all those who spoke have not requested anything.”

The president presented the change in the nature of residents’ demands as a measure of his government’s development record, saying many of the basic needs that dominated discussions during his earlier tours had since been addressed.

Mr. Barrow said the contrast between his earlier visits and Thursday’s meeting gave him confidence that the country had made progress during his nearly decade in office.

He said the development would encourage his administration to intensify its efforts, adding that he considered what his government had accomplished so far small compared with what it hopes to achieve in the future.