Barrow Says Government Supports 35,000 Vulnerable Families Monthly

Written by: Mama A. Touray

President Adama Barrow has said his government provides monthly financial support to 35,000 vulnerable families across The Gambia to help them meet their basic needs.

The president made the remarks over the weekend while addressing a gathering of farmers, persons with disabilities, religious groups, women and young people at State House in Banjul.

“There are persons with disability that every month the government gives them money. We have the list of about thousands that we pay every month. They are old people and every month, we give them money, and some are poor. If you add it together, we sponsor thirty-five thousand families every month to feed themselves,” Barrow told the gathering.

The president said his administration had introduced financial support for persons with disabilities and other vulnerable people, arguing that such assistance was not available under previous governments.

“In the history of Gambia until my regime, persons with disability were not receiving monthly payment. This is the government that does that,” he said.

Barrow also spoke about his personal experience of living with a family member with a disability, saying it had given him an understanding of some of the difficulties persons with disabilities face.

“The sibling I am after was a person with disability until the demise, so I know persons with disability very well and the challenges they face because who feels it knows it,” he said.

He said his government had introduced measures aimed at supporting persons with disabilities across the country, including legislation protecting their rights and requirements intended to improve accessibility to buildings.

“Today anyone who builds a house, we put the condition of making the building accessible to persons with disability. That is in many places. Before, no one thinks of such in The Gambia, but in my regime we made laws for persons with disabilities and those laws are here,” Barrow said.

The president also promised further measures for persons with disabilities if he wins a third term in the December 5th presidential election.

“By God’s grace, if I win the election come December 5th 2026, you will see what we have for persons with disability,” he told the gathering.