Sidia Jatta Calls for Collective Action to Free Gambia From Poverty and Injustice

By Makutu Manneh

Sidia Jatta, a veteran politician and coordinator of the Team Gambia Grand Coalition, has urged Gambians to take collective responsibility for tackling poverty, ignorance, and injustice, arguing that national transformation cannot be left to politicians alone.

Speaking at the coalition’s second news conference on Monday, Mr. Jatta called for a fresh approach to national development, saying that 61 years after independence, The Gambia had yet to fulfill its aspirations for social and economic progress.

He said the country needed a renewed commitment to change, emphasizing that every citizen had a role in shaping its future.

“It is the responsibility of every citizen of age who has a vote and who has a right to say what is good for this country and what is not good for this country,” he said.

Mr. Jatta argued that successive governments had pledged to eradicate poverty, ignorance, and injustice but had failed to deliver meaningful progress. Instead, he said, those challenges had persisted and, in some cases, worsened.

He urged Gambians to reconsider the direction of the republic and embrace a collective commitment to building a more just and prosperous society.

“The tasks before us are Herculean, and therefore we have to be well prepared to be able to address those tasks with satisfaction,” he said.

Mr. Jatta maintained that overcoming the country’s longstanding challenges would require broad civic participation, renewed thinking, and a shared sense of national responsibility.