By Madi Jobarteh
The government’s decision to close the year with a press conference is, in principle, a welcome development. Public engagement and accountability are essential in any democratic society. However, the mere convening of a press conference does not automatically translate into transparency as Minister of Tourism Hamat Bah sought to imply. In many countries, such platforms have unfortunately become instruments for selective disclosure, distortion, and, at times, outright disinformation.
Today’s government press conference was no exception. While several issues were addressed and a wide range of claims presented, many critical matters remained either unclarified or deliberately glossed over. One such issue is the government’s repeated claim of creating 150,000 jobs.
Despite the significance of this figure, no concrete data, sectoral breakdown, methodology, or verification was provided. Instead, the Minister of Information, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, resorted to hypothetical illustrations such as asserting that his ministry alone had created thousands of jobs without offering any evidence to substantiate such claims.
The issue that particularly interested me is the construction of the 50KM OIC roads. Both the Minister of Information and the Minister of Trade Mod K Ceesay maintained that the roads are of high quality. The Trade Minister even likened road classification to hotel ratings such as first, second, third, fourth, or fifth class, yet failed to clarify which category the OIC roads fall under. He further claimed that a kilometre of road typically costs about one million dollars, though he conceded that costs may vary depending on terrain, traffic volume, and other factors.
However, available information indicates that the OIC road project cost approximately $96 million, jointly funded by the Government, the Islamic Development Bank, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA). Despite this substantial investment, the results on the ground raise serious concerns.
Construction began in 2021 with public assurances that the project would include six-lane dual carriageways, street lighting, drainage systems, pedestrian walkways, two overpasses, and twelve roundabouts. Today, however, only seven roundabouts exist, with an unplanned third overpass currently under construction at the Sukuta–Jabang junction. It was announced in December 2024 that an additional loan of between $30 – $40 million had been contracted to fund a third phase aimed at widening the road. Currently, work is noticed in selected places on the side roads.
After nearly five years, the 22KM road remains incomplete, and fundamental questions remain unanswered. What class of road is it? Why does it lack basic features expected of a modern urban highway? The road is neither disability-friendly nor environmentally responsive. There are no trees or green buffers along its length. Flowerpots placed at certain points have either collapsed or dried out. Pedestrian movement has been severely constrained by high metallic barriers, with limited and poorly designed crossing points. There are no pedestrian bridges, no traffic lights, and insufficient streetlighting.
Moreover, the road has negatively affected livelihoods even if it has significantly eased traffic along it. Many small businesses along the corridor have lost customers due to restricted access, forcing some to shut down or relocate. A modern road should enhance economic activity, not undermine it.
Roads are not merely strips of asphalt for vehicles but are also social, cultural, political and economic spaces that must accommodate pedestrians, traders, persons with disabilities, statues, monuments, beautification and the broader urban ecosystem. Well-designed roads incorporate safety, accessibility, aesthetics, and environmental sustainability. Unfortunately, these elements are largely absent on this road.
In many, if not all of the other 20 roads have been constructed in ways that create inconvenience for vehicles, pedestrians and communities ranging from access challenges, induced flooding, and obstruction to homes and business, while disability, environment and beautification issues are ignored or absent. Take the Kairaba Avenue (former IEC)- BJL\Serekunda Highway (GTTI) or the Bundung Highway as an example.
In this context, it is insufficient to declare a road ‘world-class’ without addressing its functional, sociocultural, economic, and environmental deficiencies. Transparency is not achieved through rhetoric but through facts, evidence, and openness to scrutiny. To claim that a person is not an “expert on roads” hence his views about roads are baseless raises issues about the qualification of the Minister of Works and Infrastructure Ebrima Sillah who is also not an ‘expert on roads” but a trained journalist!
Therefore, while the government’s decision to hold a press conference is commendable in principle, the substance of the information provided fell short of the standards of accountability expected in a democratic society. If such engagements are to build public trust, they must go beyond political talking points and provide verifiable, comprehensive, and honest assessments of public projects and policies.
