Africa-Press – Gambia. Ebrima Nyang, the administrative secretary of the Gambia Democratic Congress, urged opposition parties to set aside differences and form a unified front to confront the country’s political and economic challenges ahead of the 2026 elections.
Speaking at a Coalition for System Change discussion held on Saturday at the Paradise Suite Hotel, Mr. Nyang said the initiative offered an opportunity for opposition leaders to rethink their approach and work collectively toward what he described as a “new Gambia.”
“Now the ball is in our court. What are we going to do as concerned Gambians? Should we allow each one of us to work on our own, or should we all come together for the common good of this country?” He said his party stood ready to support collective action among opposition groups.
Mr. Nyang described the coalition as a serious effort to reform governance and respond to public concerns, arguing that Gambians are increasingly dissatisfied with the direction of the country.
“First of all, I would like to recognize this is the gathering. It is the way forward to have a new Gambia whereby you will not only train the system but at the same time address the problems to meet the needs and the aspirations of the Gambian people,” he said.
He offered a sharp critique of President Adama Barrow’s administration, saying government institutions were deteriorating across multiple sectors.“Looking at all the sectors that are in the government, you can see that every sector is collapsing by the day,” Nyang said.
He emphasized the need for opposition parties to pool resources, ideas, and policy proposals as they prepare for the 2026 presidential election, arguing that fragmentation had weakened their ability to challenge the ruling party.
“For all of us now to see the Gambia, for all of us to see that our efforts can be redirected not only on our parties but our efforts can be directed, our resources can be shared, our manifestos can also be shared so that at least we can have a common ground for 2026,” he said.
Mr. Nyang also pointed to the rising cost of living and economic hardship affecting citizens at all levels of government, including elected and appointed officials. “Even if you are part of those that are appointed by the president or you are elected at the local level or national assembly or even mayoral, we can see that everything in this country has become very difficult every day,” he said.
He concluded by calling on opposition leaders and other political actors to engage sincerely in coalition-building and outreach efforts, saying broad participation would be essential to effect meaningful change.
“Therefore, I call on everybody to take up this initiative in the event that we can also do our level best to reach out to anybody that we believe can add value to this call of what we want in 2026,” he said.
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