Essa Mbye Faal, leader of the APP-Sobeyaa party, has lauded what he described as significant economic progress under President Adama Barrow, expressing cautious optimism that the National People’s Party (NPP) alliance will prevail in the upcoming December presidential election.
Speaking during President Barrow’s ongoing Meet the People Tour, Faal said the administration had overseen important improvements in economic growth, while acknowledging that more work remains to be done.
Faal, who recently aligned his party with the governing coalition, characterized the administration’s record as one of progress that should be sustained and strengthened.
Reviewing The Gambia’s economic trajectory since independence, Faal noted that the country recorded annual growth rates exceeding six percent during much of the period leading up to 1978, before slowing considerably in subsequent decades. He observed that growth averaged around three percent from the 1980s through 2014–2016, compared with approximately 5.5 to 5.7 percent under Barrow’s leadership.
He described the latter figures as “a very good record,” while stressing that the country has the potential to achieve stronger performance.
“Can we do better? Yes. Do we want to do better? Or should we want to do better? Yes,” Faal said.
