United Democratic Party (UDP) leader Ousainou Darboe has cautioned Gambians that re-electing President Adama Barrow could worsen the country’s cost-of-living crisis, citing soaring commodity prices and insufficient government investment in agriculture.
Speaking on Eye Africa TV good morning program on Thursday, Darboe described the December 5 presidential election as pivotal for the nation’s future. He argued that the government has failed to adequately address economic challenges, warning: “What we see, the way the country is moving, if Barrow is re-elected, it will sink and it has reached that stage.”
Darboe criticised the administration’s tendency to attribute rising prices to international crises such as the Russia-Ukraine war and Middle East tensions. He insisted that domestic policy failures are at the heart of the problem. “The cost of living will increase every day. If you raise concerns about it, government points fingers at Russia-Ukraine conflict, Middle East conflict about the blockage at the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.
The UDP leader questioned what measures the government had taken to prepare the country for economic shocks after the COVID-19 pandemic and before the outbreak of the Ukraine war. He argued that the administration had relied on global crises as scapegoats rather than implementing proactive policies.
Darboe also highlighted the decline in rice cultivation, which he said has deepened The Gambia’s dependence on imported food. He recalled his family’s past rice production in Sankulai Kunda, Bansang, noting that households once produced enough for their own consumption. “If we are producing enough of what we consume, we will not rely on imports for consumption,” he stressed.
While acknowledging his longstanding criticism of former President Yahya Jammeh, Darboe expressed support for Jammeh’s “grow what you eat and eat what you grow” policy, though he disagreed with its implementation. He argued that increased government investment in agriculture could ease food prices and reduce reliance on imports.
Darboe accused the Barrow administration of prioritising infrastructure projects over agricultural development, saying this imbalance has left households struggling with basic food costs. “If their investment in agriculture has some positive effect, we will not be here talking about the cost of living. It has failed, and that is the reason we are still importing rice, onions, with a price tag of D2,000,” he said.
As the election approaches, Darboe’s remarks underscore the growing debate over whether government resources should focus on infrastructure or agriculture as the foundation for economic stability in The Gambia.
