ROHEY MALICK
LOWE
BANJUL CITY
COUNCIL MAYORAL
CANDIDATE FOR UNITEDDEMOCRATIC PARTY
(UDP)
Manifesto
2018 - 2022
No
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CONTENTS
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1.
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INTRODUCTION
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2.
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VISION
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3.
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MISSION
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4.
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YOUTH
EMPOWERMENT
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5.
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WOMEN
EMPOWERMENT
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6.
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HEALTHCARE
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7.
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MUNICIPAL
& ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS
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8.
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SPORTS
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9.
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EDUCATION
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10
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INFRASTRUCTURE,
DRAINAGE, AND REFUSE COLLECTION
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11
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ACCOUNTABILITY
AND GOOD GOVERNANCE
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|
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INTRODUCTION
Banjul - Since its founding has been the capital of The Gambia and the commercial gateway to the sub-region. It is the financial nerve
center of our country’s economy. As such Banjul is the seat of supreme
authority in The Gambia -be that Executive, Legislative, or Judiciary. The city hosts the official headquarters of
all three branches of government. Banjul is also home to our only seaport and
most important historical national
institutions from Antiquities, Education, Healthcare, and Maritime. Sadly, the
current dilapidated condition of Banjul is nothing to be cheerful about. We in
the UDP feel we can do much better!
As a successful entrepreneur – a businesswoman for that
matter, I pledge to use my business experience particularly the entrepreneurial
skills I have learnt and used over the years to help transform this once
beautiful small city into a modern one all Gambians can be proud of again. I
hope to do this by harnessing all the different resources available to us. We
Banjulians must work with the government of President Barrow, Private Industry,
and other relevant stakeholders -whether here or outside our shores to chart an innovative and feasible strategy to open a new
chapter in the history of our beloved city.
In the 22 years of APRC rule, our city was almost turned
into a ghost location – desolate, unsightly, neglected, and unlivable. Like
many ordinary citizens, businesses and government institutions were abandoning
the city for more livable and environmentally-friendly locations outside the
island, leaving us with crumbling public infrastructure. To this day, most of
our roads are pot-hole infested, our buildings generally dilapidated, and our
sanitation or waste disposal system inadequate and ineffective. This is
disheartening and shameful!
All candidates vying for the Mayoral seat in this election
must have a very honest goal to rebuild this city. My goal is therefore -at the
minimum, to restore our city’s lost glory and heritage as it was in the days
when my late father Alhagi Malick Lowe served as Mayor of this remarkable city
that used to be the melting pot of all Gambian cultures. At this critical
period of our history, the people of Banjul must come together to find
solutions to the daunting and existential challenges that confront our survival
as the capital of this country. We must confront these challenges with every
fiber of our being for the common good.
On that note, we must challenge Private Industry to use the
ethical principles of Social Responsibility to do better, and to collaborate
with us to find solutions to the many daunting hurdles confronting Banjul. As
your Mayoress, I will work with all businesses and institutions in this city -
private or public, I will work with the day trader in Banjul or the next person
who comes on a day visit on a business trip - to make it an obligation to act
responsibly for the betterment of Banjul and her people. Each must take this
commitment seriously because a better, prosperous and model Banjul means a
better and prosperous Gambia.
VISION-
Sunu Halat
Empowering the people of Banjul and Gambians that do
business in the city to achieve and enjoy economic prosperity in the Capital
City. Provide
sustainable growth by maintaining a clean and safe City, revitalize our parks,
beaches, libraries, Community Centres, and to setup Skills and Business
Incubation Centres to help train young people and the next generation of
leaders.
Our beloved city requires a total revamp that would attract
people to do business. With a population of nearly 40000, our vision should be
towards making sure this city becomes habitable and
attractive for people to visit. Recent stories about poor sewage system and
avoidable floods during the rainy season are all signs that this city needs to
be revamped.
To lead a historic march to the seat of Mayor of Banjul by
harnessing the support of every Banjulian particularly the women and youths that
would bring about the much-needed change that will enhance the lives of the
people of our capital city. It is our sincere commitment to make Banjul a
shining example for all by bringing together people from diverse sectors,
background, and political perspectives, even if the only thing they have in
common is the cardinal belief that Banjul belongs to all, and her development
is a collective endeavor.
Fifty-three years after independence and currently hosting
its third President, Banjul has less than forty thousand inhabitants, but a
high percentage of that population are youths.
As a result, much work is needed to prepare and stage Banjul for future
generations to come. I believe it will take leadership, vision, and a committed
individual with capacity to be at the helm of office to ensure Banjul does not
fall short of its potential.
I Rohey Lowe also
believe that I have the ideas, the vision, the commitment, and the leadership
qualities to make Banjul become the best Capital city in West Africa, and
likewise to ensure Banjulians - especially the most disadvantaged like the
women and youth to have access to their fair share of available economic
opportunities.
Given the multitude of challenges faced by Banjul, and
consequently Banjulians, it will take a committed individual, and a holistic
approach to tackle these myriad issues which is why I have laid out some plans
to take up the challenge.
Banjul City Council under my leadership will be an
all-inclusive but accountable – people focus agenda-driven environment where
priority to attempt and resolve problems faced by Banjulians shall be high on
our agenda. Our unique location has made
Banjul a center of business attraction and my plan to tap into this Competitive
Advantage has the potential to yield big dividends. My major, (but not exhaustive) areas of focus
to bring Economic development to Banjul are as follows:
YOUTH
EMPOWERMENT-XALEL DAI MAGGA
The youth population in Banjul is relatively large, dynamic
and does constitute the most important segment of our resource base. It is
therefore our commitment to pursue every opportunity available to us, and in
collaboration with the GOTG, to provide directly, or incentivize independent skills training institutions to provide training for our youths to acquire
skills in Business and Finance, Computers and Information Technology,
Carpentry, Auto Mechanics, Metal work, Welding, Masonry, construction, and other Vocational skills. Those who excel
in High and Secondary schools will benefit from scholarship programs. My office
will setup a Community Service Program that will be aimed at helping
disadvantaged youngsters. Through Our “BANJUL for ALL” approach, we will
endeavor to help find opportunities by initiating the following:
- We
will focus and place priority on helping school
dropouts regardless of cause. We will setup
mentorship programs for students pursuing vocational training programs at skills training
centers and help them with job placement
once they satisfactorily complete their programs.
- We
will coordinate with local schools and businesses to start job mentoring
programs for our youth. We will explore and find opportunities where
youths can enroll to become teachers
or other desired professions
- We
will initiate or assist in existing support
and or counseling services for youth in their
communities
- Endeavor
to sponsor, find sponsorship, or co-sponsor computer clubs
for youths without access to computers to reduce the digital divide.
With a well-trained and skilled workforce, Banjul youths
will be able to network with their counterparts in the sub region, the
continent and the world at large for mutually-beneficial business and other
opportunities.
WOMEN
EMPOWERMENT- JIGAIN NII BANJUL
Women are key contributors to the Banjul economy. They are involved at all levels in both the private and public sectors.
Women are a major driving force in the private
sector. They are the backbone of private
sector businesses ranging from street vendors, market retail, to medium-size
business enterprises. In the public
sector, women hold many important positions of responsibility both at the city
level and nationally. The Banjul public
sector woman occupies a vital space where
she works to make crucial decisions in the existing social and professional
environment thus creating an all-new paradigm while advancing her own career at
the same time. My vision is to work hard, and hand-in-hand with my beloved sisters
to improve the status of the Gambian woman in the public workforce as well as
in the business community. I will work
with Ward Councilors to pass legislation at the City Council to ensure:
●
Women get equal pay for equal work
in both the public and the private sectors;
●
An increased rate of female
participation in educational and other training programs, as well as in formal
sector employment;
●
The creation of incentives for the
informal sector which employs most of the female labor force;
●
The number of Maternity Leave days with full pay for pregnant and lactating
mothers in the work force is maximized.
●
In collaboration with other private sector
actors like Reliance Financial services, create a women’s credit Union to help
small businesses access loans and startup capital.
A vibrant Banjul sitting at the mouth of the Gambia River
which empties into the Atlantic Ocean can immensely benefit from spoils of the
river in the forms of fishing and other aquatic activities. The Banjul woman will be empowered to
actively engage in the fishing industry not only for subsistence purposes, but to be key players in commercial fishing
including the fish export business. The
goal is to have ambitious Banjul business women working in tandem with inspired
Banjul youth for profitable business ventures that will create employment.
Given the challenges in the fishing industry due to the high number of fishing
licenses historically issued to non-Gambians, we will work with the government
to put in place a new system that will protect the interest of our citizens and
allow Banjulians to reap gainfully from the fishing industry. We will work for
the Banjul fishing community to secure assistance in acquiring appropriate
commercial fishing equipment and gear ranging from boats to nets. We will also endeavor to build supporting structures like ice storage facilities, and
a modern fish market
to help our fishermen and vendors sell to both local and outside customers.
The maintenance or restoration of the health of the body and
mind remains a pivotal pillar in the livelihood of all people. Providing better healthcare and a sustainable
system is a key responsibility and remains one area among others that citizens
look up to their national government for effective delivery. Whilst the task to
ensure better healthcare service for the people is huge and complex in nature,
and that the responsibility thereof lies primarily with the national
government, City government participation can be of immense help. Banjul is home to the country’s main
healthcare facility (EFSH) which provides outpatient services and major
operations for patients across the country. The Mayor’s office will engage key
institutions and the community we serve to contribute in the following ways to
ensure a cleaner and healthier environment for our people;
- Collaborate
with the Ministry of Health so that the children of Banjul will get proper
medical attention especially for required immunizations and the taking of
common preventive childhood medications like drafts commonly known as NANDAL
- To introduce a proper Birth Record system in the City with
strong follow-up scheme that will ensure all children reaching school age,
are traced and enrolled in school.
- Support
our hospital and clinics that are within the city by networking with our
twin cities overseas for assistance and idea-sharing.
- To
engage the central government to initiate a complete overhaul of the sewer
and drainage system in Banjul to help curb and prevent stagnant
water-borne diseases – a major source of general ill-health and the
chronically high incidence of malaria in the city.
- We
will embark on sensitization campaigns on how to keep our city clean by
educating ourselves on proper sanitary practices and waste disposal.
- To
ensure that Council allocates disposal
bins all over the city to prioritize refuse collection
MUNICIPAL
AND ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTION
Garbage collection in public places will be carried out
effectively under my administration especially at the market where consumables
are sold. We will build enough toilets and pipe-borne water taps. We will also
increase concrete vendor slabs to accommodate vendors who otherwise display
their goods on the ground.
Administratively, for the market to operate effectively,
we will revisit the composition of the Market Committee and the role they play
in overseeing the day to day operations of the market.
The Committee will be an independent body elected by a
congress comprising of members of the various sub-committees representing the
market vendors. We will set in place
such practices that will help in:
•
Banjul becoming a clean and safe
city for all to work, live, learn, and do business in.
•
Assuring the provision of clean
and safe drinking water
•
Prevention of flooding and storm
water runoff
•
Introduction of green ways- by
planting trees and rehabilitating our roads in the Capital city and sprucing up
our beaches for leisure and recreation.
•
Introducing a modern and effective
revenue collection system with best accounting practices
•
Innovative municipal business tax
breaks
•
Trash and recycle collection and
disposal
•
Revitalizing our historic roots to
encourage tourism
To make the city of Banjul environmentally friendly, we will
do everything possible to minimize the amount of accidents and pollution caused
by container-trucks coming in and out of the city.
Pollution is a health hazard that must be dealt with but only
through regulation in line with the Local Government Act and the support of the
police. To this end, we will carry out negotiations between Council, the
community and truckers for an optimal solution.
In relation to infrastructure, we will continue the process
of engaging Central Government to rehabilitate major roads in Banjul. At the
same time, Council will put requisite effort in improving the quality of feeder
roads especially those that have completely eroded.
SPORTS -
NDAM YI CI TAGGAT YARAM
Council will pay needed attention to the importance of
sports and its socio-economic impact which is ever-increasing. We cannot
over-emphasize the effects sports have on health and social cohesion. If given
the chance, Sports will be further integrated in our urban lifestyle under my
watch. We will work on having a clear and robust sports
policy at the municipal level. This policy will center on devising ways of
continuously upgrading sports facilities in
the city and their maintenance. Council will revisit the Secondary School
Sports issue with the aim of playing an active role in organizing and
sponsoring competitions in this category.
The council will work with all the Banjul Sports Committee
in providing the necessary financial and moral support towards developing
sports in the capital. A specific budget will be catered for the local Nawettan competition and all other
recognized sporting activities.
Education is a vital component of any meaningful development agenda.
Banjul cannot recover from its current condition without building a viable and
robust education system. Banjul City council under my leadership will partner
with the ministry of education with the help from public and private business
enterprises to look into our current dissolute educational institutions with
the objective of finding a solution to give an immediate facelift to our
schools. A simple walk from Gambia Senior Secondary School to St' Augustine's,
St' Joseph's through Crab Island Junior Secondary school is all that is needed
to see firsthand the kind of disservice and negligence done to those learning
institutions during the past 22 years of the last government. They have become
an eye-sore to the general public. But things will change! Under my leadership,
the city will prioritize the revitalization of our school systems to the
standard of envy within the country and outside. We have no other option but
invest and reverse the current trend; it is unsustainable! The future of this great city lies on us to
ensure that our children receive the best education. Consequently, we cannot
achieve this monumental objective without investing.
Here is what I intend to do to ameliorate this current situation:
- During the first three months of my
administration, I will constitute a Task Force to be duped "The Race
for Excellence Begins in our Learning Institutions." the members of
which SHALL all be residents of this City, and it will consist of five
individuals. Those selected to be in this committee will have characters
beyond reproach and will have the vision to do for our children more and
even much better than our parents did for us.
a. The Task Force will work with the Ministry of
Education to map out a workable strategy to rebuild all the schools in the
capital.
b. The Task Force will reach out to both Public
and Private Institutions to take part in the development of the schools through
the fulfillment of their corporate social responsibility objectives.
c. They will have the mandate to work with all
the school administrators in Banjul from Kindergarten to Tertiary institutions
to brainstorm in finding lasting and progressive solution to the current
problem. We believe that if we all work together, put ideas together and focus
on the development of our children and their learning environment we will
undoubtedly produce future leaders capable of running the affairs of this city
and the country at large.
2.
In the spirit of investing in our children for a better city, my
administration will create a scholarship program to sponsor the most
outstanding students from Junior Secondary School through undergraduate level.
The modalities of this scheme will be worked out by the task force. We have to
look into the totality of a child to be able to respond to his/her needs as
productively as possible. The purpose of this scholarship scheme will be to
motivate achievers by encouraging learning and scholarship for the future of
Banjul depends on them.
My administration will encourage an open-door policy of ideas where
citizens are encouraged to contribute whatever resources they may have to
uplift the image of this great city. We would allow them to freely engage the
counsel on all matters affecting the city be it Education, Health,
Infrastructure, Job creation, Women and Youth empowerment etc. We will also
engage the great sons and daughters of Banjul to see how best they can invest
in developing the city, Banjulians like Tapha Njie can be encouraged to invest
in affordable housing projects in Banjul for civil servants and others with
business interest in Banjul, this will help revitalise both infrastructure and
social engagement in Banjul.
INFRASTRUCTURE,
REFUSE COLLECTION AND DRAINAGE SYSTEM
Drainage, refuse collection and general infrastructure maintenance is a
key priority area in Banjul, with the rains approaching it is important that
efforts are made both short and long term to address these key issues. We will
work with central government, key developmental institutions and investment
partners to tackle the issue of drainage, street lights, refuse collection and
facelift of key infrastructure. We will do the following:
- immediately task engineers to do a
feasibility study on the drainage system that would present an informed
and well costed project proposal for Gamworks, UN and other key investors
to help in this area.
- we will empower our councillors to set up
teams at ward level to organise cleaning and community sensitisation
programs to help with waste disposal, rates payments etc.
- set up a steering committee towards
ensuring the cleansing services are managed by Banjulians with the full
participation from the dedicated youths.
ACCOUNTABILITY
AND GOOD GOVERNANCE
After 22 years of neglect from the APRC, the situation in
Banjul requires a sincere and committed response from any person elected as
Mayor or Mayoress. My election to the post of Mayoress will always be regarded
as a social contract between myself and the people of Banjul. It is for these
reasons that I make the following pledge in the areas of accountability and
good governance:
●
I will operate an Open-Door Policy
by making sure that there are quarterly meetings with representatives of the
Ward Development Committees.
●
I will publish annual report to list
out the activities of the council and
highlight all forthcoming programmes.
●
In this era of Information
Technology, the Banjul City Council will have a user-friendly website to ensure
the easy dissemination of information
●
I will establish an effective
complaints bureau charged with the task of receiving reports from the
electorate about poor delivery of services
●
I will make sure that there is
regular audit to show the effective utilization of the council’s financial
status.
●
All elected officials will be
required to declare their assets before assuming office.
●
I will maintain a Zero tolerance for
corruption and maladministration by setting up a hotline for Banjulians to
alert authorities about any unlawful activities.
Since my election to the office of Mayoress is one of a
social contract with the electorate of Banjul, I do not intend to tolerate,
entertain and anticipate a honeymoon period. Instead, it would be one of which
requires immediate positive response to the prevailing circumstances affecting
the people of Banjul. Therefore, the first order of
business if I am fortunate to be elected will be to undertake a comprehensive
independent assessment of the city’s finances to accurately establish the
city's tax base, revenue streams and expenditures. This is important because in
order to address the very urgent needs of the city, we have to have a good and
verified understanding of our resource position, and where we find leakages we
cement them immediately and reform our entire operational structure to better
deliver services and serve our community.
Secondly, on the same theme of the assessment and
stabilization of our finances , I will on my first day in office engage
the central government and specifically the Ministry of finance on the urgent
need for the settlement of property tax liabilities of the central government
that alone stands in excess of D7million as well as press for GRA to return the
truck garage back to the city which Banjul had always operated and is an
important revenue stream generating millions that the city can better utilize .
I will make a similar case for the NRA to let the city regain its billboard
advertisement to help defray the monthly D1.5million electricity bill from
Nawec a large portion of which is from the expensive street lights from Denton
Bridge to State house.
The third priority will be to address the utterly
unacceptable sewage and sanitation condition of the city. I will work with the
newly elected council to designate the situation a “Public hazard” and mobilize
resources to purchase new trucks, solicit private sector support to work with
residents at the ward and home level to ensure garbage is appropriately
collected and disposed off as an urgent short term measure while we draw up a
longer term waste management strategy that would be built on sustainable,
modern and efficient planning and operation.
The fourth priority for me as mayor will be centered on
helping the youth and women get education, skills training, jobs and
entrepreneurship opportunities. A modern city has to have a job base for its
residents and as home to the nation's commercial hub and central government, I
intend to engage both the private sector and government in specific ways to
ensure our people have the requisite skill sets to compete for and get jobs as
well as create their own businesses and those already in business to grow and
hire more people.
To this end, I solemnly make this pledge that my candidature
for the office of Mayoress is primarily geared towards contributing towards the
redevelopment of this once unique and special city of The Gambia
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