By: Modou Touray
The President of the Republic of The Gambia, His Excellency Adama Barrow has given two weeks ultimatum to local authorities in Brikama to tackle the issue of negotiating for a piece of land for the construction of the proposed modern hospital for the community of Brikama, saying all lands belong to the state.
President Barrow gave the order while addressing a meeting in Brikama on Thursday as part of the second leg of his Meet the People’s Tour.
“I hereby order the Alkalo, Chief, Governor in consultation with the Minister of Lands to tackle the issue of land for a modern market. I understand the identified piece of land belongs to Touray Kunda in Brikama. We have been negotiating to get it to construct a hospital, but the final approval is yet to be given by the custodians of the land.
“All lands belong to the state and accordingly the government has the prerogative to demand any piece of land for infrastructural development,” President Barrow said.
The modern hospital, if successfully constructed, will provide treatments for complicated sicknesses and other health conditions which are not currently available in the country.
The President also stated that Brikama is rapidly growing in population which makes it justifiable to build a hospital to cater for the demand for health services.
“My government has been anticipating developing Brikama and other settlements but the availability of space for infrastructural [development] is a major obstacle. If the required land is not available, it will be difficult to carry out development projects for citizens,” he stressed.
He called on the local authorities to factor in future infrastructural developments in their communities by reserving pieces of land.
President Barrow also hinted at his government developing projects for Brikama and other satellite villages in the coming years such as the provision of roads and electricity.
“Our target is for every settlement in the Gambia to have access to electricity by 2025.”
The government’s road project according to the president will benefit many settlements within Kombo Central, Kombo South and other places in the West Coast Region.
The second leg of the president’s Meet the People’s Tour continues in other parts of the Kombos after conducting similar meetings in the rural Gambia
