By Kemo Kanyi
Residents of Kaur Wharf Town and Kalen Jawbeh have called on President Adama Barrow to improve living conditions and extend basic services to communities that have yet to benefit from government development projects.
The concerns were raised during the President’s ongoing Meet the People Tour in the Upper Saloum and Sami districts, where residents appealed for improved access to electricity, roads, employment, health services, education and youth facilities.
Speaking on behalf of women in Upper Saloum, Njie Ceesay called on the government to extend the Women Enterprise Fund to women who have yet to benefit from the programme.
She also urged the government to extend electricity and road networks to communities located off the main roads and create more employment opportunities for young people.
“Please President Barrow, help these communities with their needs. Our students are finding it very difficult to reach schools because of the poor conditions of the roads in some areas,” Ceesay said.
She said parents were making sacrifices to educate their children but expressed concern that many graduates were unable to find employment.
“If they cannot find jobs in the country after finishing school, it renders their education valueless. So, all our hopes are on you. We are pleading with you for the establishment of factories or other employment opportunities to create jobs for our children,” she said.
Representing the youth of Sami District, Pa Njie said the district lacked a standard football field where young people could play and train.
He called on the President to intervene through the Ministry of Youth and Sports to provide appropriate sporting facilities for the area.
Njie also raised concerns over cattle theft, saying more than 30 cattle were reportedly stolen in the area last year.
He called for the establishment of a Police Intervention Unit (PIU) camp in Sami to help address cattle theft and cross-border criminal activities.
“Your Excellency, if they steal a cow, within ten minutes they can cross the border into Senegal because there is no river crossing. That is why we are requesting a PIU camp in the area,” he said.
Njie also called for the upgrading of the Karantaba Health Centre, which he said had remained largely unchanged since it was constructed during the First Republic.
He said the facility lacked the capacity to provide some essential services, including maternity care, forcing women to travel to Bansang for treatment.
According to Njie, referrals to Bansang could become particularly difficult during emergencies because patients sometimes face delays in crossing the river and securing transport to continue their journey.
“By the time they manage to cross and find a taxi to continue their journey, it is often too late. People have died and others have suffered greatly because of these delays,” he said.
Njie appealed to President Barrow to upgrade the Karantaba Health Centre to reduce the need for referrals to Bansang Hospital.
He also raised concerns about the condition of Tabanani Primary School, which he said was constructed in 1981 during the administration of former President Sir Dawda Jawara.
The school, he said, was now in a dilapidated condition and lacked access to water, making it difficult for children from Chamen, Tabanani, Sanno Kunda and surrounding villages to attend school.
He called for urgent government intervention to improve the school’s infrastructure and provide basic facilities for pupils in the area.
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