By: Haddy Touray
The Brikama Area Council on Thursday disbursed D1 million to each of its 28 wards to support community development initiatives across the West Coast Region, as part of the ongoing Ward Development Fund programme.
The allocation represents an increase from previous years. In 2024, the council provided D500,000 per ward, financing the construction of 22 boreholes, eight market sheds serving nine communities, and the connection of three communities to the national electricity grid. Last year, the council doubled the allocation to D1 million per ward, disbursing a total of D28 million and funding 20 additional boreholes to expand access to clean water.
At the disbursement ceremony, Brikama Area Council Chairman Yankuba Darboe cited rapid population growth in the West Coast Region as a key factor behind the initiative. He highlighted challenges such as waste management, overcrowding, inadequate infrastructure, and environmental degradation.
To address these issues, Mr. Darboe said the council established the Ward Development Fund to ensure each ward undertakes at least one development project annually. The initiative relies on Ward Development Committees to identify and prioritise local needs.
“This decentralized and participatory approach ensures that communities are directly involved in the decision-making, execution, and maintenance of their projects,” he said, adding that the model promotes local ownership and long-term sustainability while guaranteeing equitable resource allocation.
Mr. Darboe emphasised that the funds come from local tax collections rather than external grants or donor support. “None of this could have been possible without your support to this council in paying your taxes on time. It could also not have been possible without our commitment to fighting corruption,” he said.
Reflecting on the administration’s early days, Mr. Darboe noted that the council inherited significant debt upon taking office on June 1, 2023. At that time, it was operating with a deficit of D10 million and owed multiple financial institutions and other entities.
Between 2019 and 2022, he said, the council had been so financially constrained that it relied on a private construction company to procure utility meters from the National Water and Electricity Company. Describing corruption as a “cancer” undermining the council’s operations, Mr. Darboe said his administration had confronted the problem directly and restored financial discipline, laying the groundwork for expanded ward-level development spending.