The announcement of President Barrow’s vacation this August coincided with the heavy downpours that inundated homes and communities across the country.
This coincidence was taken out of context by some critics who tried to create the impression that the President does not care about his people but they were proven wrong by the visible actions of the Head of State. He did not take a break from his presidential duties as he prioritized meetings with flood victims in the Kanifing Municipality and Banjul. Those meetings were immediately followed with tangible relief programmes for over 40,000 people who were directly and indirectly affected by the floods.
As the President subsequently departed Banjul for his provincial vacation abode, he inspected ongoing government projects along the various settlements on both sides of the trans-Gambian highway. Upon arrival in Mankamang Kunda, he took time to visit crop farms, rice fields, hospitals, roads and bridges upcountry.
Motivated by the desire for food self-sufficiency and import-substitution, President Barrow assured maximum Government support to farmers throughout the agricultural value chain. Shortly before the 2021 rain season, tractors and farming implements were distributed to farming communities nationwide. With global trade shocks and disruptions of supplies affecting goods, the Barrow Administration intervened by subsidizing fertilizer and devising mechanism to prevent cross-border smuggling of this essential ingredient for farmers.
At the end of the farming season, the farm gate prices for cash crops will reflect the current market realities that will boost the net income of farmers. Beyond this, President Barrow is determined to make farming attractive to the youths and encourage the addition of values to our local produce.
Since coming to power in 2017, President Barrow made it customary to spend his annual vacation in his home village of Mankamang Kunda, Jimara District, Upper River Region. While there, he meets Gambians of all walks of life who give him original information on developmental issues concerning their respective communities.
