He described such arguments as baseless and untrue, saying: “This government supports local government more than any other government.
“The problem is that councils today are more political than service-oriented. They are into politics instead of delivering services and development to the people who elected them.”
He challenged councils to provide a single example of central government interference, insisting none exists.
According to him, councils frequently accuse central government of failing to allocate subventions, yet ignore the fact that they collect hundreds of millions of dalasis on their own.
“They are collecting hundreds of millions. What are they doing with that money?” he asked, adding that blaming central government is simply an escape route to avoid accountability.
The minister maintained that “allegations of political interference are lies” and that “the public is aware councils are not putting their resources to proper use”.
On land administration, the minister said government is moving to fully digitalize land registration and communication systems with support from the World Bank. He disclosed that the tender process for the project was closing, and reaffirmed government’s commitment to delivering a modern land administration system.
He also confirmed that government plans to construct 200,000 housing units in partnership with UN-Habitat, Shelter Afrique, BADIA and other partners are progressing. According to him, the first phase of 10,000 houses is expected to take off within the next two weeks, after minor delays.
The press conference also featured heated exchanges over the ownership and management of McCarthy Square. The minister stated clearly that the square belongs to the central government and was only given to the Banjul City Council (BCC) to manage. He said government took over management after concluding it could be better handled, stressing that ownership never transferred to BCC.
“We did not confiscate anything; we took back management of what belongs to us,” he asserted.
He later explained that following complaints, government engaged BCC and agreed on a joint management arrangement, with commercial activities at the square to benefit the council.
