The Gambia For All Party has launched its policy platform for the 2026 presidential election, promising sweeping reforms aimed at strengthening food production, expanding economic opportunities, improving public services and promoting greater accountability in government.
Unveiled on Saturday, the party’s Four Pillars Manifesto outlines the priorities it says would guide its administration if elected to office.
At the centre of the programme is a commitment to build a country capable of producing more of its own food and reducing dependence on imports. The party says strengthening agriculture and supporting local farmers would be critical to achieving greater national self-sufficiency.
The second pillar focuses on transforming The Gambia into a more diversified and resilient economy. The party argues that the country remains excessively dependent on imports, remittances and a narrow range of economic activities, leaving households vulnerable to external shocks and rising living costs.
Gambia For All also identified investment in people as a major priority, pledging greater attention to health, education, skills development and employment opportunities, particularly for young Gambians.
Its fourth pillar concentrates on governance, with the party promising a more competent, efficient and accountable public administration.
A Critical Assessment of the Status Quo
The manifesto delivers a strongly critical assessment of the country’s political and economic direction, arguing that successive administrations have failed to translate repeated development promises into meaningful improvements in the lives of ordinary Gambians.
“For far too long, Gambians have carried the weight of unfulfilled promises,” the party said. “We have endured decades of misrule, watched opportunities slip through our fingers, and seen the hopes of 2016 fade into disappointment.”
That reference to 2016 is politically significant.
The defeat of former President Yahya Jammeh generated enormous public expectations that democratic change would be accompanied by stronger institutions, improved living standards and greater economic opportunity.
Gambia For All argues that many of those expectations remain unmet.
The party cited the situation of Gambian farmers as an example, questioning why local producers continue to struggle while a substantial share of the food consumed in the country is imported.
Its manifesto suggests that agricultural development should be viewed not merely as a rural issue, but as a central component of economic independence, job creation and national food security.
Youth Employment and Migration
The party also raised concerns over unemployment and limited opportunities available to young people.
According to Gambia For All, insufficient employment and economic prospects continue to push some young Gambians towards irregular migration in search of opportunities abroad.
The manifesto argues that dependence on remittances from the Gambian diaspora, while providing critical support to thousands of households, should not become a substitute for building a productive domestic economy capable of generating sustainable employment.
The party’s economic proposals therefore place emphasis on diversification, entrepreneurship, skills development and expanding productive sectors beyond the country’s traditional economic base.
Schools, Hospitals and Public Institutions
Gambia For All also criticised the state of essential public services, arguing that weaknesses in education, healthcare and government institutions are the result of years of inadequate investment, poor management and insufficient long-term planning.
“Our schools, hospitals, and public institutions, once symbols of national pride, have been weakened by neglect, incompetence, and a lack of vision,” the party said.
The manifesto nevertheless presents an optimistic assessment of the country’s long-term potential.
It argues that The Gambia possesses valuable agricultural resources, a youthful population and institutions that could become engines of national development if backed by effective leadership and sound policies.
The party says its proposed reforms would seek to make The Gambia increasingly self-reliant in food production, energy and economic development while simultaneously strengthening public institutions and mechanisms of accountability.
With the presidential election approaching, the Four Pillars Manifesto gives Gambia For All a policy framework on which to campaign and provides voters with a clearer basis on which to assess its political alternative.
The greater test, however, will be whether the party can move beyond broad aspirations and demonstrate how its promises would be financed, implemented and measured.
As the 2026 campaign intensifies, voters are likely to demand not only ambitious manifestos, but credible explanations of how competing parties intend to turn campaign commitments into measurable improvements in everyday life.
