The recently finished Hakalang Road in the North Bank Region was officially opened by President Adama Barrow on Saturday. He called the project a significant step in his administration’s efforts to improve infrastructure and encourage equitable national development.
Speaking at a ceremony that was attended by citizens, traditional elders, and local officials, Mr. Barrow described the Hakalang project as a representation of national growth and unity, saying it is “more than a road.”
“In view of its importance, this infrastructure is symbolically more than a road,” the president said. “It signifies progress, unity, and inclusive development, brought about by a government of the people and for the people.”
Numerous settlements that had long been cut off by inadequate transportation are connected by the 86-kilometer Hakalang Road. Residents of Upper Niumi and the neighboring districts have endured decades of hardship due to deteriorating roads that make it difficult to get to markets, clinics, and schools.
Residents of the North Bank Region (NBR), especially those in Upper Niumi and the surrounding districts, suffered from the harsh misery of isolation and restricted access to critical social services for decades on end because of poor roads, Barrow stated. “My government decided it was both morally and financially necessary to fund this entire road project, given the critical size of the Gambian population in this region.”
According to Barrow, the new infrastructure is anticipated to boost economic activity and tourism, especially in historic locations like Juffureh and Kunta Kinteh Island, which are both significant heritage sites connected to the history of the transatlantic slave trade in The Gambia.
The president also took the opportunity to emphasize how his campaign goal to promote infrastructure development in the North Bank Region was fulfilled during the 2016 election.
“I firmly pledged throughout the 2016 presidential campaign that addressing the North Bank Region’s infrastructure deficit would be my top priority if elected. “Here we are now,” he remarked. “My government has constructed the Hakalang Roads network and supplied electricity to many communities for the first time in this region’s history.”
Barrow called on the people to accept joint responsibility for the road’s upkeep, calling it a “national asset” and “a mark of honor” that symbolizes what the people and the government can accomplish when they work together.
Now, let’s cooperate to protect and care for this national treasure. Treasure it as a symbol of honor and a testament to what the Gambian people and government can accomplish when we band together and take coordinated action,” he said.
