By Mama A. Touray
President Adama Barrow has expressed plans to officially open several rural road projects by June 2025. This announcement followed his daylong inspection of ongoing construction works across rural areas, aimed at obtaining firsthand information on progress, challenges, and the way forward.
“We target to officially open in June. The Hakalang Road is a very well-known route, stretching about 86 kilometers. We’re around 80% complete and are aiming to finish it by early or late May,” Barrow said.
He noted that the Kiang West project has been particularly challenging but emphasized that it was undertaken to improve the movement of people, especially those residing in the area. Reflecting on his 2016 presidential campaign, he stated, “This was a difficult area to access. During the campaign, I visited here and promised that if elected, we would construct these roads. This is part of fulfilling that commitment.”
Despite the roads not being fully completed, the president expressed satisfaction with the work done so far. “I’m very happy with the progress. We’re almost there, and I believe by June we will be able to officially open the roads. The quality is commendable — our consultants are on the ground, providing regular reports, and the feedback has been positive. The project is also on budget,” he said.
Highlighting his administration’s focus on infrastructure, Barrow reiterated that development is closely tied to road access. “There is no developed country without roads. Infrastructure is essential for development, and we will continue to invest in road construction across the country,” he said. He added that the government’s infrastructure efforts go beyond roads, noting that schools, health facilities, electricity projects, and agricultural initiatives are also being pursued concurrently.
Barrow concluded by acknowledging the constraints faced due to limited resources but credited his government’s innovation, focus, and commitment. “As Mandela once said, if you are committed, you can achieve anything in life. We believe in that and are doing everything possible to deliver on the social projects promised to the Gambian people,” he said.
