Amadou Kah, Leader of Tabax Rewmi Movement
By Fatou Sillah
Amadou Kah, the outspoken leader of the newly formed Tabax Rewmi Movement, has strongly criticized President Adama Barrow’s recent State of the Nation Address (SONA), accusing it of being out of touch with the daily realities faced by ordinary Gambians.
In an interview with West Coast Radio, Kah described the address as a recycled speech filled with empty figures that fail to connect with the lived experiences of the population.
“I don’t see the SONA to be different from that of last year and the previous year. It has always been the same thing, same way. When it is time, writers would just gather, prepare something and give it to the President,” he alleged.
He further suggested that the address seemed like a scripted document prepared by aides with little reflection on actual national challenges.
Kah expressed concern that the President’s speech spoke of economic growth and currency appreciation, while average Gambians continue to struggle with inflation, rising costs, and stagnant incomes.
“The reality at the end of the day is how many people, do the Gambian people connect with what he was saying? Example, when you would talk to us that the value of currencies appreciates, like, what he was talking about inflation all of that, is this the reality that people are, Gambian people are living within their own, reach in their pockets, that’s not the case,” he said.
He added That, “When you are talking about, there is economic growth here and there, and people are getting poorer, what I would have expected from the President is to come and reach out, like that state address that Sona should have been talking about facts,” He Said.
Kah argued that a truly impactful State of the Nation Address should present concrete, practical solutions that directly improve the lives of Gambians. He said the President missed an opportunity to outline clear, relatable changes that citizens can actually feel.
“That example last year, Gambians on average were spending D5,000 on electricity, Now this year or next year you will have more stable electricity of which you will be spending D3,000, That would make sense to me, the price of food items would decrease by 5% or 10%. And that decrease should be felt by Gambian people,” He explained.
He continued “I should go to the market and realize that last year I was spending D1000 to buy rice, this year, I am spending D800,” He Said.
Kah stressed that the SONA should have gone beyond broad economic indicators and instead focused on specific policy actions aimed at improving livelihoods in measurable ways.
“Other things that I was expecting probably would be, the government have a plan, that we have received, we have signed a contract where we receive funding for about this kind of money, or this sum of money of which will be put into housing programs building 1000 houses to target middle income earners or new families, new youths that are starting their families, where they will be paying rent for D3000 So these are the things that would have the positive impact in the life of the Gambian people,” He added.
He also emphasized that citing statistics alone is not enough without clearly demonstrating how they will translate into real improvements for ordinary Gambians.
“I understand the figures he will give these are all economic figures and they are real But actually what I am saying is gone are those days that every year you come and do the same thing, now we are trying to ask the President and his government to start taking up initiative that Gambian people are going to feel that will impact on our lives and our living standards,” He Said.
Kah also took aim at the President’s repeated assurances about expanding electricity access, arguing that the promise of 95% national coverage by next year lacks depth if quality and impact aren’t part of the equation. “All these days the President is saying that by the very end of next year or so that 95% of Gambians would have electricity”
He stressed that with improved electricity, there should be visible progress in industrial growth and job creation.
“If we are going to reach 95% electricity within the Gambia there are certain areas of the country that require quality, because electricity is tied to economic development, and again we should have been counting numerous factories that are being instituted in the Gambia because of what? A stable supply and quality electricity, the President should have been counting the number of jobs,” He Said.
Kah criticized the lack of employment data in the State of the Nation Address, pointing out that Gambians want to hear specifics: how many jobs were created last year, and how many are expected in the year ahead.
“It is time that we move from only structures to quality service delivery, one thing that the government does very well is only building white elephants,” He Said.