By Omar Bah
Mina Bouhdoud, the mayor of Lagififat, a small town and rural commune in Taroudant Province of the Souss-Massa-Drâa region of Morocco, has commended the partnership her office continues to enjoy with the Banjul City Council.
The Moroccan mayor was in The Gambia to join the mayor of Banjul and president of Refela-Africa, Rohey Malick Lowe, to officially inaugurate a new market complex at the Banjul Albert Market.
The over D7 million market dubbed the ‘Better Life Initiative project’, funded by the Moroccan Territorial Collectivites Project, will shelter 160 vegetable and fish vendors at the Albert Market.
In her inauguration statement, at the ceremony attended by the Moroccan Ambassador to The Gambia, the CEO of Banjul City Council, the founder of Refela, councillors, and residents of Banjul, Mayor Bouhdoud assured the BCC of her commitment to continue partnering in projects geared towards empowering women. She promised to lobby for more funds to elevate the market complex into a two-storey building to accommodate more female vendors.
“Empowering women means giving them the power to make decisions, take control of their lives, and participate equally in society. I am very excited that this project will be used by women who sell vegetables at the market because empowering women is part of the Moroccan government’s initiative,” she told a cheering crowd of women vendors.
The Mayor of Banjul, Rohey Lowe, commended her colleague mayor and the government of Morocco for funding the project, saying that when women are empowered, they can contribute to economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve the health and education of their families.
“This project is implemented by women, and that’s why when you empower women, we can accomplish a lot, and when you give us positions, we excel to expectations,” she said.
She said the market will alleviate the burden on women, especially during the rainy season, urging that women in the city should be patient with her leadership as more projects are in the pipeline.
The founder of Refela, Dr. Najat Zarrouk, expressed Refela’s commitment to continue empowering women. She commended Mayor Lowe for her resilience and commitment to the welfare of Gambian women.
“This is a very important project to empower women in The Gambia. The initiative is to foster south-south cooperation between The Gambia and Morocco,” she added.
Ahmed Belhadj, the Moroccan Ambassador in The Gambia, praised the cooperation between the two countries and emphasised his strong commitment to strengthening the relationship.
“This project is timely and significant, and we hope to inaugurate more projects of this nature to help Gambian women,” Ambassador Belhadj said.
A good number of women who spoke at the inauguration commended Mayor Lowe for her uncompromising stance towards the welfare of Gambian women and assured her of their support.
Neneh Jallow, a market vendor, said Mayor Lowe has given Gambian women the hope that a female president will address the challenges the country is facing.
