As the president continues his surprise visits to state instiutions, his determination to modernising our capital city, Banjul, ranging from road rehabilitations to improvement in the drainage system is unquestionably visible. Such a surprise inspection by the president is a clear indication of his untiring commitment to transforming the country into a Silicon Valley.  Surprise visits by the president give him the opportunity to see for himself the state of development in the country and hence know the appropriate strategies to adapt for improvement. 

As such, it is substansive to argue that it takes only a leadership of conscience to perform such a task, as it is a golden opportunity to understand the needs and aspirations  of the people and eventually fulfil them. Banjul is the capital of the country. The fact that it is home to the seat of government, it is the yardstick used by  others to gauge our development. The president's resolve to improve The  Gambia  is therefore another clear indication that The Gambia under President Jammeh will always be a seat of growth and development.

It is not far fetch for even those of the younger generation to recall that a decade ago, The Gambia particularly the capital  Banjul was a city of potholes  before the advent of the current government. Since President Jammeh took over the country, he came with most if not all the development ideas that had been deficient in the previous administration. He has all along been pragmatic, patriotic and has a penchant for national development that cuts across  national spectrum.

The responsibility lies in the hands of the residence of Banjul to complement the efforts of the government. As the president stated, the government cannot build houses for  people.  Those who are residing  along the main highways can simply  offer their lands to the government for development; that falls within the limits of modern urban planning and in turn the government can allocate them a plot of land elsewhere for resettlement. By this, our capital can become a modern administrative center as an efficient and effective urban planning mechanism can be implemented. It is important that as Gambians we continue to realize that it was out of a common will for development in combination with our social and economic utility that our national development blue print - the vision 2020 - was created. 15 years  on, the actions of President Jammeh has always been geared towards the accomplishment of that holistic development initiative. Complementing the efforts of the president should be the prime objective of every Gambian.

It will no doubt remain in history that at the time of President Jammeh's ascendancy to the mantle of leadership, The Gambia had almost no natural resources; there were only groundnuts and a little bit of marine resources, but despite this resource constraints, President Jammeh in just a decade placed the country on the path of growth and industrialization. There are pipe borne water supply in almost all parts of the country; one can communicate to the rest of the world from the most remote village in The Gambia; there are hospitals and clinics across the country, there are schools everywhere. Education, which was a privilege and not a right before the current leadership, is now a right; The Gambia can now boast of a university. Investors continue to  build  confidence in the country and  are   pouring  into our shores.

Modernising Banjul will not only add to our quest to transforming this country into a Silicon Valley but will continue to illuminate the fact that the ledership of president Jammeh has not in any way depart from his mission. It is therefore in the best interest of every Gambian regardless of difference in political affiliation to be actively involved in national development process and complement the efforts of the president.