Dear Editor,
There are moments in the history of every nation when voters are confronted with a question that goes beyond personalities, political parties and election slogans.
The question is: What kind of leadership does our country need for the next generation?
For The Gambia, that question has become impossible to avoid.
Our country is young. Our population is young. Our aspirations are young. Yet much of our political leadership continues to operate within an old political framework—one dominated by personalities, political rivalries and promises that too often fail to translate into meaningful change in the lives of ordinary citizens.
The Gambia needs something different. It needs leadership that understands the challenges of the present while possessing the imagination to prepare the country for the future.
It needs leaders who are energetic enough to work, experienced enough to govern and courageous enough to reform institutions that are no longer serving the people as they should.
This is where the candidacy of Talib Ahmed Bensouda deserves serious national consideration. Leadership Must Be About Results and Talib Bensouda is not entering national politics without a record. He has served as Mayor of Kanifing Municipal Council since 2018 and was re-elected in 2023. His experience has therefore been in the practical management of one of the country’s largest and most densely populated municipalities.
That experience matters. Running a municipality is not simply about attending meetings or making political speeches. It involves managing staff, raising revenue, delivering services, dealing with sanitation, responding to flooding, improving infrastructure and working with communities that have different needs and expectations.
During his tenure, several initiatives have attracted attention. Among them is the Mbalit waste-management project, which introduced a fleet of garbage trucks and expanded residential and commercial waste collection. KMC has also pursued street-cleaning, drainage and sanitation initiatives. There have also been efforts aimed at supporting women entrepreneurs. The establishment of a D100 million women’s economic empowerment fund was highlighted by both KMC and the United Nations in connection with improving women’s economic opportunities.
These initiatives do not mean that every problem in Kanifing has been solved. It would be unrealistic to suggest otherwise. But they demonstrate something important: Talib Bensouda has had the opportunity to govern, to make decisions, to face obstacles and to be held accountable for results. That is valuable experience for anyone seeking the highest political office in the land.
The Gambia Cannot Afford Leadership Without Vision. The challenges confronting The Gambia today are fundamentally different from those of previous generations. We live in an era of rapid technological change, climate pressures, population growth, urbanisation and intense competition for investment. Our young people are connected to the rest of the world through smartphones and social media. They can see how other countries are developing. They know what is possible.
They are asking simple questions:
Why not The Gambia?
Why can’t a Gambian young person build a successful technology company here?
Why can’t our farmers earn a decent income from agriculture?
Why must a university graduate spend years searching for employment?
Why can’t women-owned businesses and obtain affordable financing?
Why should Gambians continue travelling abroad in dangerous circumstances because they see no future at home?
These are not questions that can be answered with political slogans. They require serious economic thinking, modern governance and leadership prepared to make difficult decisions.
Talib Bensouda represents a generation that understands these questions from a different perspective. His background in economics, his experience in local government and his engagement with urban development provide him with a foundation from which to approach national problems differently.
A new generation does not mean rejecting the old. Some people may hear the phrase “new generation of leadership” and interpret it as an attack on older politicians. That is not the case. Experience is valuable. The wisdom of our elders is invaluable. The contribution of previous generations to the development of The Gambia must never be forgotten. But experience should not become an excuse for refusing change. A new generation should build upon the lessons of the past while refusing to be imprisoned by the politics of the past.
We need young people in decision-making. We need young professionals. We need entrepreneurs. We need women. We need people with experience in technology, agriculture, finance, education, health and modern public administration. Most importantly, we need leaders who can bring these different groups together around a common national purpose and this is where Talib Bensouda comes in.
Perhaps one of the greatest challenges facing The Gambia is not a shortage of talented people. It is political division. For too long, our politics has encouraged citizens to see one another primarily through the lens of political allegiance. But a farmer in Kiang does not eat NRP policy; a teacher in Basse does not educate children with an NPP slogan; a young entrepreneur in Brikama does not create employment because of a political party colour. They need a government that works. The national interest must therefore be bigger than any political party.
Talib Bensouda’s Unite project is built around precisely this idea of bringing Gambians together around a common national purpose. His party describes its mission as restoring trust, ending divisive politics and promoting national transformation.
The Gambia needs less political warfare and more national development. The Presidency Must Be About Service; The presidency should never be viewed as a reward. It is a responsibility. The President must wake up every morning thinking about the farmer whose harvest is failing, the mother struggling with household expenses, the graduate searching for work, the business owner trying to survive and the child sitting in a classroom that lacks the resources necessary for a quality education.
The President must understand that government exists to serve citizens. That is why leadership experience at the local level matters. A mayor sees government from the ground; He sees the rubbish that needs collecting; He sees the roads that need repairing; He sees the drains that need clearing; He hears directly from traders, women, young people, residents and businesses.
These are practical experiences that provide important perspective when transferred to national leadership.
The coming election will inevitably produce competing personalities, promises and political narratives. But Gambians should look beyond the noise.
Talib Bensouda is not perfect. No political leader is. But he offers something that deserves serious consideration: a combination of youth, practical governance experience, economic training and a stated commitment to national renewal. His record should be examined honestly, its achievements, its shortcomings and its lessons. That is how democracy should work.
The Time for Renewal Is Now. The Gambia does not need a revolution. It needs a transformation; It does not need politics that constantly looks backward. It needs leadership that looks forward; It does not need leaders who merely tell Gambians what they want to hear; It needs leaders prepared to tell the truth, make difficult decisions and deliver results.
The choice before Gambians is therefore bigger than Talib Bensouda or any other individual. It is a choice about the direction of our nation.
The Gambia deserves a new generation of leadership and Talib Ahmed Bensouda deserves the opportunity to lead the Gambian people.
The Gambian people will decide in December and Talib Ahmed Bensouda is their choice.
Tombong Saidy
Unite