By Seedy Jobe
United Democratic Party leader ANM Ousainu Darboe has warned that re-electing President Adama Barrow in the December 5 presidential election would further weaken The Gambia’s economy, urging young people and market vendors to use the vote to demand economic change.
Speaking at a fundraising event at the Serrekunda Market on Sunday, Darboe, the secretary-general and leader of the opposition UDP, said the large turnout of young people demonstrated what he described as a growing desire for political change.
“What this shows is that the youths of this country are ready. There is nobody who can deceive them with empty talk, and there is nobody who can mislead them with their actions,” Darboe said.
Darboe thanked the market women, describing them as the “mothers of the nation” and an important part of the economy. He said traders experience the country’s economic challenges firsthand through rising business costs and fluctuations in the exchange rate.
He pointed to women who travel to neighboring Senegal to purchase vegetables, arguing that the rising value of the CFA franc against the Dalasi has increased their costs. He blamed the situation on the Barrow administration, which he accused of failing to properly manage the economy.
Darboe said the UDP has advocated for greater economic opportunities for women throughout its three decades of existence. He said measures such as constructing cold-storage facilities in major gardening areas could reduce post-harvest losses, while connecting farmers to international markets could increase exports and generate foreign currency.
The veteran opposition leader also blamed government borrowing for some of the country’s economic difficulties, arguing that foreign-denominated debt would leave future generations with significant repayment obligations.
Darboe said the weakening Dalasi has contributed to higher prices for imported goods. Recalling his political campaign in 1996, he said he had warned then about the rising cost of rice and asked the crowd to compare prices at the time with what consumers pay today.
He pledged that, if elected for a five-year term, strengthening the foundations of the economy would be among his administration’s priorities.
“The country’s strength will be built on the economy,” he said.
Darboe framed the December election as being about the economic future of young people, traders, and other Gambians rather than the political ambitions of UDP officials.
“This is not an election to make Ousainou. This is not an election to give a position to Lamin Manneh. This is an election for you, the youths,” he said.
He also rejected suggestions that the UDP was driven by a desire for political office.
“If we were greedy for positions, you would have found us in government today,” he said.
Darboe urged market vendors, including those who are not UDP supporters, to join his party, arguing that broader political participation was necessary to address the country’s economic challenges.
He ended with a stark warning about what he predicted would happen to the dalasi and the wider economy if Barrow secured another term.
“I am telling you: if you make a mistake on the 5th of December and choose Adama Barrow to be president of this country, know that the economy of The Gambia will be destroyed,” Darboe said.
He predicted that another Barrow term could push the exchange rate to D100 to the U.S. dollar and D120 to the British pound, warning that such depreciation would have serious consequences for businesses that depend on imported goods.
“If we do not join together and rescue this country, we will suffer here,” he said.
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