By: Dawda Baldeh
The Mayor of Banjul City Council and President of REFELA Africa, Rohey Malick Lowe, alongside the Mayor of Lagfifat, Mina Bouhdoud of Morocco, and the founder of REFELA, Dr. Najat Zarrouk, officially inaugurated the fish shed and vegetable market complex at Albert Market in Banjul.
The market complex, funded by the Kingdom of Morocco, was constructed by REFELA in partnership with Lagfifat to provide a sheltered and decent place for approximately one hundred and sixty (160) vegetable and fish vendors.
Mayor Lowe expressed her hope that the market complex would be extended to a multi-story building in the future to accommodate more vendors.
“This project is implemented by women, and that’s why when you empower women, we can accomplish a lot,” Mayor Lowe said.
She added, “When you give us positions, we excel to expectations. This market will alleviate the burden on women, especially during the rainy season, and we want to expand it to a multi-story building.”
She thanked the mayor of Lagfifat and the government of Morocco for their funding and urged women and youths to take ownership of REFELA.
Mayor Lowe also called on the women in the city to be patient with her leadership as more projects are in the pipeline.
Mayor Bouhdoud, speaking in Arabic, expressed her excitement over the partnership and commended Mayor Lowe’s dedication to empowering women, which aligns with the vision of the Moroccan government.
“I am very excited that this project will be used by women who sell vegetables at the market. Empowering women is part of the Moroccan government’s initiative,” she told the audience.
Dr. Najat Zarrouk, the founder of REFELA, and Ahmed Belhadj, the Moroccan Ambassador in The Gambia, both praised the cooperation between the two countries and emphasized strengthening the relationship.
They highlighted the shared goal of empowering women, supported by both mayors.
“This is a very important project to empower women in Gambia. The initiative is to foster South-South cooperation between The Gambia and Morocco,” Dr. Najat told reporters.
For his part, Ahmed Belhadj, the Moroccan Ambassador in The Gambia, said this project is timely and significant.
“We hope to have more projects of this nature to help women in The Gambia,” he said.
Several individuals, including Neneh Jallow, a seasoned vendor, Jarra Darboe, a vendor, Tunko Jammeh, councilor for Soldier Town Ward, and Omar Touray, former Deputy Mayor of Banjul and President of He for She REFELA Gambia Chapter, commended Mayor Lowe and her partners for their initiative.
The market, located in the heart of Banjul, currently accommodates hundreds of vendors. If expanded, it will help alleviate the difficulties faced by women vendors, particularly during the rainy season when stagnant water and leakages become problems.
