Gambia’s Vice President Expresses Confidence in Barrow’s Re-election Bid

By Makutu Manneh

Vice President Muhammed B.S. Jallow said this week that he was confident President Adama Barrow would secure a second term in the Dec. 5 presidential election, citing what he described as tangible development gains under the current administration.

In an interview with QTV, Mr. Jallow said communities across The Gambia were experiencing the effects of government-led infrastructure and energy projects, which he argued would weigh heavily on voters’ decisions.

“Everyone has seen the opinion poll of CepRass,” Mr. Jallow said, referring to a recent survey. “People may have their different opinions, but however you analyze it, this government has confidence that the people will give President Barrow another term.”

Responding to critics who argue that electricity access has not translated into sufficient economic benefit, Mr. Jallow rejected the notion that electricity is not being meaningfully used. He said households that once spent between 100 and 200 dalasis on ice blocks now have the ability to produce and store ice themselves, a change he described as both practical and cost-saving.

The vice president also highlighted road and transport infrastructure as another area of progress, saying travel times between urban centers and rural communities had been significantly reduced.

Recalling conditions before the completion of the Basse bridge, Mr. Jallow said residents of Wuli had once complained that bodies transported from Banjul for burial often had to remain overnight in Basse because of limited ferry services. “That is no longer the case,” he said, adding that the bridge has eased movement and improved access to the region.

“I remember when President Barrow was inaugurating the bridge in Basse, the people of Wuli highlighted that their corpses from Banjul often spend nights in Basse due to a lack of ferry services,” he said.

Mr. Jallow said such changes illustrate what he called the practical impact of President Barrow’s leadership, arguing that improved infrastructure and basic services would be central to the government’s case for re-election in December.