It is end of the year. The period when people get lost in excitement and merry making as if a new one, with its own realities and challenges, is not at the corner.
In reality, the end of year should be the beginning of preparations for the new one, and reflecting on the past one, as a nation, we have a lot of catching up to do on many fronts and therefore cannot afford to indulge too much as we say goodbye to 2024. Let us all reflect on the year and assess what a year it has been for us as a nation.
The Gambia continues to enjoy a great deal of peace and stability generally, and has not done badly either managing the harsh economic realities inside a fragile, but relatively calm political environment.
The government has announced a pay rise for workers in the new year, in as much as this is a huge step towards addressing the high cost of living, it will not significantly lift the average worker from the near starvation wages especially because it is almost always going to be accompanied by a rise in commodity, rent and transport costs. Government and employers in this country must start paying their workers “living wages” that factors in inflation. The hope in the new year is for government to revisit its initial plan to holistically review the pay system of the country. That and only that can address the issue.
Still on the social and economic front, the sickening problem of the so-called “back way” syndrome with its catastrophic effect on lives and hopes of young people has not yet gone away, albeit a bit reduced.
Government may be hoping that the employment deals it signed with Spain, Saudi Arabi and the Gulf States will curb this menace but the solution actually lies in the creation of jobs in the country which requires huge investment in local industries such as agriculture, fisheries and other entrepreneurship areas.
Talking about agriculture, the past year has recorded the lowest harvest for groundnuts in recent years with most farmers reporting crop failure. Coupled with no changes in the producer price for this cash crop, and bottlenecks in getting payments for the little nuts sold, farmers will remember 2024 with a bad taste in their mouths and government should reactivate all its social protection energies toward helping the farmers cope.
Another area that must exercise the minds of Gambians in the new year is the concern over the political season which has almost started in earnest ahead of the 2026 presidential election. The stakes are high and battle lines are being drawn over the constitution, and other vexed matters.
In these charged times it is imperative that all politicians and their supporters conduct themselves in a peaceful manner both in their utterances and actions. This is important as the nation goes through the complex process of adopting a constitution, the crucial stages of the implementation of the TRRC recommendations and a presidential election in 2026.
Happy new year to all.
