By Tabora Bojang
The mayor of Banjul, Rohey Malick Lowe has declined to confirm whether she will run for re-election next year, saying she will make her decision known when “the right time comes.” But for now, she is concentrating on delivering on her first mandate.
Mayor Lowe was responding to a question at the Banjul City Council ‘Town Hall Meeting’ at Sam Jack Terrace on Saturday, as she continues dialogue with Banjulians on the Council’s development trajectories, challenges and way forward.
The town hall meetings also provided the city mayor with opportunities to gather first-hand information on the impact of her Council’s policies and developments on their lives and answer residents’ questions on issues regarding the BCC.
Abdoulie Suwareh, a Banjulian, asked the mayor about her intentions on re-election.
To loud cheers in the crowd, Mayor Lowe replied: “I will give you that answer when the right time comes, God willing. I will keep it to myself until when the right time comes and I will answer it for you. That is my right as well and not your right to know now whether I should go for second term or not but God willing, when the time comes and all the wrestlers get ready, you will know if Rohey Malick Lowe will be part of it or not.”
In 2018, Mayor Lowe made history becoming the first female mayor of The Gambia and second ever in Africa following her triumph in the local government elections on the UDP ticket, defeating scores of other candidates including then incumbent and now late Mr. Abdoulie Bah.
She recounted that the BCC under her leadership has achieved tremendous strides towards enhancing the lives and livelihoods of Banjulians in line with her manifesto.
According to Mayor Lowe, whose father Malick Lowe also served as Mayor of Banjul, the BCC under her watch has moved from being a “highly indebted to a debt-free Council” after addressing the problems of ghost workers, establishing strong anti-slippage and procurement regulations, increasing salary for staff and councilors, lowering tax for small scale businesses, maximising revenue, beefing up security for businesses in the city and bringing back electricity to the Council, ending its reliance on generators under its predecessors.
She further recounted that Banjul had undergone series of development and women and girls empowerment initiatives such as road constructions, lighting of the city, building of an abattoir, toilets, renovations at Albert Market, awarding of over 200 scholarships, donation of ambulances, supply of trash bins to all compounds, acquisition of four waste collecting trucks, allocation of D10 million for women and girls empowerment initiative, building of the BCC complex and a smart hub at Crab Island to accommodate a community radio, TV and music centre among others.
The vast majority of Banjul residents who addressed the meetings praised the mayor for her ‘unprecedented commitment’ towards steering the affairs of The Gambia’s capital and vowed to rally behind her in realizing her development priorities.
