Gambia’s Team Gambia coalition pledges reforms and fairer wealth sharing
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Kerr Fatou
The Gambian coalition Team Gambia wants institutional reform, accountability and a fairer distribution of wealth at the heart of its forthcoming manifesto, coordinator Halifa Sallah said. It proposes strengthening oversight of public spending and redirecting resources towards productive sectors such as agriculture, according to Kerr Fatou.
The Gambian coalition Team Gambia intends to put institutional reform, oversight of public funds and a fairer distribution of wealth at the heart of its programme, coalition coordinator Halifa Sallah said. These priorities should help fight poverty, he said.
Sallah proposes reforming the Office of the Auditor General so that resources paid into the state’s consolidated fund are used as intended. He also wants communities to be able to monitor public spending. For a village hospital project, for example, residents should know the budget, and local development committees could monitor its implementation, he explained.
To combat poverty, the coalition wants to direct more funds towards productive sectors, particularly agriculture, by providing farmers with fertiliser, seeds and equipment. Sallah contrasted this approach with the aid and essential-goods purchases funded during the Covid-19 pandemic, arguing that investment in local production would foster more sustainable incomes and reduce reliance on donations.
The coalition is due to set out its policies and how they would be implemented when it officially launches its manifesto. Sallah described the goal as citizens’ direct participation in wealth creation and the sharing of income derived from national resources.
Summary produced with the help of artificial intelligence tools, under AFREEQUE’s editorial responsibility.
