By Omar Bah
Ebrima Jawo, a leading home-grown artist and activist, has disclosed his intention to contest for mayor of Banjul on the ticket of former ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP).
Mr Jawo said his ticket is to restore the city’s sanity and respect.
In an interview with The Standard Friday, Ebrima Jawo said Banjul is heavily divided on political lines and the capital badly needs someone of his experience and maturity to restore its dignity and respect amongst the best cities in Africa.
“You need to be someone with the right ingredients to be able to lead such an institution and people like myself have got the local knowledge having worked in various institutions both in government and the private sector here and the UK. These ingredients are quite key in reforming the Banjul City Council. This is the reason I think I am the right candidate,” Jawo said.
He said the experience he got in terms of running and managing institutions is what BCC needs to regain its dignity.
Jawo, who is the PPP chairman UK chapter, said he chooses PPP because the party has a natural connection with Banjul and the citizens of the city should not let it die.
“I want to lead the resurrection of the party and I want to start with transforming BCC. I want to use my experience of managing a housing department of the council I am working with in Europe and my international contacts and connections to get Banjul where it needs to be,” Jawo said.
He promised to bring social housing projects to create residential and commercial areas for the city.
“These are things that you have in all advanced cities and that is the kind of planning and leadership I would offer Banjul. So, I have no doubt that I have a great chance of winning against my fellow contestants,” he added.
He added that Banjul is politically divided and yearning for someone who would be able to bring the city together and that is exactly what he will offer.
“We will bring the various groups in Banjul together in a town hall meeting and map out a process of identifying community leaders in the city to ensure they work closely with councilors to identify the needs and aspirations of Banjul. We will also create a suggestion box at the council and ensure there are proper modalities to ensure the collection of waste is properly coordinated,” he said.
Jawo also promised to clear the ghost list of individuals still collecting salaries at the council.
He vowed to turn Banjul into a tourism hub with the right investment.
Jawo also promised to institute a digital system and ensure there is a database system to curb the mismanagement of resources at the BCC.
“If you look at countries like Ghana and Senegal, they use things like Money Wise and other financial apps which people use to pay their rates or dues through mobile apps. That reduces the chances of cash being mismanaged. If you got an app where people would possibly just walk to the bank and do their payment or whatever in whatever format knowing that I have made this payment through the bank and having a unique response number and getting revenue collectors to scan these numbers to ensure they have made the right payment. This will reduce the cash flow and risk of financial embezzlement,” he added.
