The Barrow Administration is said to have proposed to build 700 hectares city in Jinack Nigi and Kajata Forest, situated on the Island of North Bank Region (NBR), The Gambia.

The said agreement, according to reliable sources, revealed that one Muhammed Jobe, a Senegalese national, has been authorized by the Government of The Gambia to operate his company in the aforesaid vicinity. In tandem with the above, the populace of Jinack and its surrounding villages, is seeking for timely interventions from Gambian citizens residing home and abroad, and those in the Diaspora, to sign the petition allowing Jinack Island to be used for only Tourism. The community Jinack seven kilometres outside Banjul has vowed to boycott the forthcoming elections by refusing to vote if   The Gambia government continues to ignore their plights.

The residents of the various communities in Jinack strongly called on government to intervene.Jinack is an Island situated in the North Bank Region (NBR) of the country, about seven kilometres outside Banjul. It’s probably one of the most neglected community of the country where drinking water is unavailable except what is being transported from outside.

DEMANDS FROM THE PEOPLE OF JINACK

1.We want the Island to be reserved for only tourism.

2. We call on the Government of The Gambia to consider our plight and invest in tourism on the Island.

3.  We prefer a hotel to be built on the Island rather than making it a residential city.

4. We don't want a bad investment on the Island. 

5. We need technical training and vocational skills education for the community and leverage the skills of women and young people.

It is hard – if not impossible – for most of us to imagine that people in Jinak cannot get clean, safe drinking water simply by turning on a faucet in their home. Due to the unavailability of land for agriculture in Jinak, they must spend a significant amount of time and travel substantial distances to collect clean, safe drinking water in neighboring Senegal. The lack of easily accessible water not only poses health risks, but also limits educational and employment opportunities for the youth, girls and women, who are typically responsible for the time-consuming task of collecting water.

One of the Malick Manneh Foundation’s missions is to provide clean, safe drinking water to rural Gambians. Therefore, The Gambia Government can closely work with the Malick Manneh Foundation to help with the digging of wells and rehabilitation of lands for crop production – and later intends to bring over 30 machines to pump fresh water into the farmlands. Along the way, the MMF also would like to provide the community with boreholes (drilled into the earth to extract water) drawn up through a pipe into an elevated storage tank. The machines near the tank will enable the residents to get clean, safe drinking water at no cost.