By Adama Makasuba
President Adama Barrow has announced that his government will start paying ‘Alkalos’ monthly salary worth of D3,000 due to start in January 2022.
Speaking to electorates in Niumi Ndogu Chareng ahead of the December presidential polls, he said the budget scheme for the alkalos has been signed and approved by both his office and the National Assembly.
He said “I know you Gambians are wise and my other gift for you is that since The Gambia become independent, we know the Alkalos [village heads] are elderly people. And village head is a job and anyone who is working should be paid but no one pays the village heads.
“Any stranger who visits a village comes to the home of the village head and whatever the government needs in a community goes to the village head.”
“Every state meeting is the village heads who are invited and any difficulty in the village is face by the village head, so is it that the village heads are not human? And now I have brought a budget and the National Assembly members have signed it and I have signed it and my government has endorsed it and it is in our budget. By January 2022, every village head in The Gambia: President Barrow will pay you D3,000,” he assured them.
Meanwhile, he also announced that his government has secured a $15 million budget from donor partners to support youths of the country.
He said: “we are in discussion with our partners and they trust our government and they are willing to work with us to support our children. For now, we have an endorsement of $15 million and that $15 million we will buy boats and we will also build storage for you and train the children fishing.”
