{"id":92847,"date":"2026-01-01T18:12:39","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T18:12:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/change-is-essential-says-mayor-bensouda"},"modified":"2026-01-01T19:14:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T19:14:00","slug":"change-is-essential-says-mayor-bensouda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/change-is-essential-says-mayor-bensouda","title":{"rendered":"Change is Essential Says Mayor Bensouda"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. <\/strong><\/span>The mayor of Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) and a member of the United Movement for Change (UMC), Talib Ahmed Bensouda, on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, outlined his vision for a Gambia where all citizens can benefit from the nation\u2019s resources, calling for unity and decisive action.<\/b><\/p>\n

In his New Year\u2019s address, Bensouda emphasized the need for accountability, inclusivity, and tangible progress, declaring,<\/p>\n

\u201c2026 is a year when Gambia must change. For every region, every community, and the diaspora, all must be included,\u201d Mayor Bensouda said.<\/p>\n

Bensouda criticized the government for the economic hardships confronting ordinary Gambians, noting the rising cost of living and daily struggles faced by many. \u201cThe reality is that life is a daily struggle for too many of our fellow citizens,\u201d he said. \u201cThe cost of living is too high. When people cannot afford food and basic commodities, it means something is deeply wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Highlighting the country\u2019s economic challenges, Bensouda cited a record public debt of D129.5 billion and an unemployment rate of 8.3%, with youth unemployment reaching 11.5%. He lamented the failure of successive governments to create opportunities for the nation\u2019s young population.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are a youthful population, and that is our greatest blessing. Past governments, and the current one, have failed to create a clear plan for our youth,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Bensouda also expressed concern over rising insecurity in the country, referencing the tragic killing of 21-year-old Isatou Fatty at her workplace. He called for justice and reaffirmed his commitment to deliver tangible results.<\/p>\n

\u201cIsatou Fatty was simply trying to earn an income for herself and her family, so that they may live in dignity. She lost her life in a very tragic and painful way. We strongly condemn this violence and demand justice,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The mayor further criticized the government\u2019s handling of corruption, referencing the Auditor General\u2019s report and the controversial removal of the Auditor General from office. \u201cMinistries are publicly questioning the Auditor General\u2019s report, and we have seen government press releases attacking the audit reports,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have also witnessed the unprecedented, forceful removal of the country\u2019s Auditor General. This action tells you everything you need to know. A government that forcibly removes its own auditor general is not interested in fixing the problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Concluding his address, Bensouda urged Gambians to embrace change, stressing personal responsibility in driving change.<\/p>\n

\u201cChange is not just possible, it is essential. No one will save us but ourselves. We must be serious. We owe it to this country,\u201d he said. \u201cWe owe it to our children and our descendants,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He assured citizens that the UMC is actively working and that concrete plans to advance the Gambia will be unveiled in the coming months.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Gambia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. The mayor of Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) and a member of the United Movement for Change (UMC), Talib Ahmed Bensouda, on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, outlined his vision for a Gambia where all citizens can benefit from the nation\u2019s resources, calling for unity and decisive action. In his New Year\u2019s address, Bensouda […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":92846,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-92847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"\nChange is Essential Says Mayor Bensouda - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The mayor of Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) and a member of the United Movement for Change (UMC), Talib Ahmed Benso ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/change-is-essential-says-mayor-bensouda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Change is Essential Says Mayor Bensouda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The mayor of Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) and a member of the United Movement for Change (UMC), Talib Ahmed Benso ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/change-is-essential-says-mayor-bensouda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gambia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-01T18:12:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-01T19:14:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2026\/01\/sm_1767282203.33711.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/change-is-essential-says-mayor-bensouda#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/change-is-essential-says-mayor-bensouda\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Change is Essential Says Mayor Bensouda\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-01T18:12:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-01T19:14:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/change-is-essential-says-mayor-bensouda\"},\"wordCount\":472,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/change-is-essential-says-mayor-bensouda#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2026\/01\/sm_1767282203.33711.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Gambia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/change-is-essential-says-mayor-bensouda#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/change-is-essential-says-mayor-bensouda\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/change-is-essential-says-mayor-bensouda\",\"name\":\"Change is Essential Says Mayor Bensouda - 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