By Makutu Manneh
The Banjul City Council, in partnership with the Network for Locally Elected Women of Africa (REFELA), on Thursday launched a new youth-led urban cleaning program aimed at improving sanitation across the capital and expanding economic opportunities for young people.
The initiative, formally titled the Urban Youth-Led Cleaning System Project, builds on a pilot effort carried out last year with support from Bloomberg. That collaboration, Banjul Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe said at the launch, drew wide public praise and demonstrated the value of youth involvement in maintaining cleaner city spaces.
Mayor Lowe thanked the Ministry of Local Government for its support and emphasized the need for long-term sustainability. The city, she said, cannot remain dependent on donor-funded programs, and that is why the council has decided to fully take ownership of this initiative.
According to the mayor, 70 young people have already been hired under the program, with another 70 expected to join next week. The council hopes to enlist more than 300 youths in the coming months.
“We are starting with the youth that were part of our Bloomberg project, but be rest assured, by February you will see more than 300 youth for this project,” Mayor Lowe said. She urged participants to treat the effort as a community-driven responsibility and warned against misconduct. “The contracts are only three months because we need to be serious. This time it is either you are with the project or not.”
The youth-led cleaning scheme originated as a limited pilot but will now be fully implemented by the BCC, with REFELA coordinating its rollout. City officials say the project is intended not only to improve sanitation but also to foster civic engagement and create short-term employment opportunities for young residents.