Africa-Press – Gambia. Baba Abubakar Drammeh, former Gambian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, has said successive governments have failed to significantly reduce poverty and corruption in the country since independence.
In an interview with The Voice newspaper, Mr. Drammeh said the fight against poverty and corruption over the past six decades had not gone far enough to alleviate the suffering of ordinary Gambians, particularly the poor.
“In my opinion, for 61 years of our sovereignty and independence, the fight against poverty and corruption did not go far enough to alleviate, not to mention eliminate, the poverty, mismanagement and corruption being suffered by the Gambian people, especially the poor,” he said. “The gap between the haves and the have-nots continues to widen without apparent curative measures to end it.”
Mr Drammeh, who currently serves as Imam Ratib of Sintet Village in the West Coast Region, also called on the government and the business community to reduce the prices of basic commodities, particularly during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
He urged the authorities to consider granting concessions on imported essential goods to make them more affordable for low-income families.
“Authorities and business people could build a positive partnership with a view to improving living conditions countrywide,” he said.
The former diplomat stressed that national development cannot be achieved without investing in human resources, arguing that a hungry, sick and uneducated population cannot make meaningful contributions to development.
He added that access to healthcare, education, clean water and adequate food should be guaranteed to all citizens.
Mr Drammeh also called on business leaders to show compassion towards the poor during Ramadan, describing the period as a time of mercy, forgiveness and spiritual reflection.
