By Nelson Manneh
Hon. Bakary K. Badjie, the National Assembly Member for Foni Bintang Karanai in the West Coast Region Region, has declared his intention to run for the 2026 Presidential elections as a candidate.
Hon. Badjie made this declaration at a press conference held in Brikama on Tuesday, 18 February 2025.
This comes at a time when the country is celebrating 60 years of Independence, which he said is meaningless because Gambians continue to reel from the clutches of poverty, the scourge of death and insecurity, and the chains of underdevelopment and economic suffering.
“With immense love for our motherland, a profound sense of patriotism, and the urgent need for change and progressive transformation, I wish to deliver this critical message to the Gambian people that I, Hon. Bakary K. Badjie, wish to announce my intention to run as a presidential candidate for the Republic of The Gambia, in the 2026 presidential elections. This is not a decision I have taken lightly, but a response to the cries of our people, the struggles of our youth, and the urgent need for transformative leadership under which we will build a nation where every citizen thrives, where we are truly free and independent, and where every February 18th will be deeply worth celebrating,” he said.
According to Hon. Badjie, ‘‘common sense tells us that no nation can ever truly develop nor raise its flag of freedom if her good citizens choose to sit back and complain instead of directly entering the arena to participate in nation-building actively. The greatest barrier to the liberation of every society is the reluctance of its leaders, its great men and women, to seize the moment and effect the urgent change that the society desperately deserves.”
As a visionary, Hon Badjie said he feels bound by a sense of purpose to deliver a message to the Gambian people on this very day, February 18, 2025, a day that symbolizes the moment the country regained her freedom and independence from the former British colonizers.
However, he said the reality of The Gambia today is far from the dreams and visions of our great forefathers because the citizens continue to wallow in poverty and economic hardships which he said is ripping the peace out of every heart that beats in the country.
“Our health system which was once a beacon of hope for many in the sub-region, is now in ruins and is often failing our most vulnerable citizens which include women, children, and the elderly, with insufficient and inappropriate drugs, and lack of basic equipment in hospitals across the country. Some of our health facilities look like death traps. Violent crime, killings, armed robberies, and deaths are now rampant in the country and this has created fear and a sense of insecurity in homes. Our security personnel are being belittled, degraded, and treated without the honour and respect they rightfully deserve. Their welfare is neglected to the point that in many instances, they become targets of violence and murder, tearing apart the usual peace in the hearts of Gambians,” Hon. Badjie outlined.
Hon. Badjie said teachers and lecturers who are the fundamental pillars of every nation’s development, continue to be marginalized by the system by being underpaid and overburdened, and by largely neglecting their welfare and working conditions.
“This system has undeniably left us with a generation of job seekers, not job creators. As Thomas Sankara once said: ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.’ Yet in The Gambia, this weapon remains blunt. I am not too young to know that The Gambia must upgrade if not completely revitalize her education system to focus on critical thinking, innovation, and entrepreneurship. We must draw inspiration from advancing nations like Rwanda, where bold education reforms have transformed the country into Africa’s hub of innovation and economic growth. I am not too young to know that The Gambia must invest in technical and vocational training, to ensure that our youth are equipped with the skills needed to build industries, create jobs and drive national development,” he emphasised.
“While some may think it is risky for me to take this journey, I remind them that it is even more dangerous to take the back seat, considering the state of our nation’s insecurity. Armed robbery, once a foreign concept in The Gambia, has now become the common evil ripping the peace out of our homes, our streets, and our businesses. These criminals no longer hide in the shadows of the night, but strike in broad daylight in the heart of our city, to loot banks, terrorize small businesses, and rob innocent women and girls in the streets or in their homes, where they once believed they were safe,” Hon. Badjie said.
Hon. Badjie also harped on the presence of foreign military forces and said this has undoubtedly eroded the morale of the country’s security forces and diminished their authority, and said this must end.
He called for the country’s security forces to be given the respect they deserve with honor, for them to execute their duties.
Badjie continued to add that time and again, the country’s agriculture sector remains in ruins and said projects like ROOTS and GIRAV have failed to uplift farmers, who remain the poorest working-class citizens of the Gambia, despite the millions of dollars that have been pumped into the country in the form of aid, loans, and grants. He said food insecurity continues to threaten the nation forcing the people to rely on imports for their daily survival.
When elected president, Hon. Badjie said he would invest in irrigation systems in the agricultural sector, work on value chain development, and encourage climate-resilient practices to ensure food self-sufficiency, adding that he would encourage our Gambians to take up farming as a viable and dignified profession.
Hon. Badjie said Gambia needs a radical and visionary leadership, one that will implement robust economic policies to stabilize the Dalasi, curb inflation, and create job creators; a leadership that will support small and medium enterprises, promote local industries and attract foreign investment that will truly benefit the people. He said The Gambia needs a system that creates opportunities for the youth to thrive at home; that ensures they do not feel compelled to risk their lives on the backway journey but instead harness the opportunities available in the country to build and contribute to the economic liberation of the motherland.
He called on all Gambians to come together and develop their nation, and said with the wisdom of the wise and the guidance of the Almighty Allah, ‘‘we will march forward. We will not falter. And by the will of the All-Powerful, we will succeed because, on this journey, I cannot do it alone.”
