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Kanifing

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Kanifing
Urban municipality
A street with cars and a sidewalk with
Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Center.
Standard Chartered Bank
Crocodiles lying next to green water.
Independence Stadium (Bakau)
Greater Banjul Area Map
From left to right: Serekunda city centre,Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Center, Standard Chartered Bank,Kachikally Museum and Crocodile Pool, Independence Stadium (Bakau) (Pre renovation), and Greater Banjul Area Map
A quartered shield, blue and white. Top left has a red sun. Top right has blue waves. Bottom left has a crocodile. Bottom right has a coconut tree. Above, a green coat of arms of the Gambia. Below, a banner saying "KANIFING MUNICIPAL COUNCIL".
Coat of arms
Location of the Kanifing Local Government Area in the Gambia
Location of the Kanifing Local Government Area in the Gambia
Coordinates: 13°26′51″N 16°40′21″W / 13.44750°N 16.67250°W / 13.44750; -16.67250
CountryThe Gambia
Local government areaKanifing
DistrictKanifing
Government
 • TypeMayor–council government
 • BodyKanifing Municipal Council
 • Lord MayorTalib Ahmed Bensouda (United Democratic Party)
Area
 • Land75.5 km2 (29.2 sq mi)
Population
 (2013)[1]
 • Total
382,096
 • Estimate 
(2023)[2]
391,270
Websitehttp://kanifing.gm/

Kanifing is a municipality, local government area and district in the Gambia. It is part of the Greater Banjul Area, to the west of Banjul, and is governed by Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC).

The population of Kanifing expanded in the post-colonial era, and it is now one of the country's most-densely populated places and its most-populated district. It received many migrants from the rest of the Gambia and abroad.

Kanifing is the economic centre of the Gambia, and Serekunda is its largest population center. Tourism is a major industry, and here are several higher education institutes, including the University of the Gambia.

History

[edit]

Sayerr Jobe founded Serekunda, the first settlement in the forested area, in the nineteenth century. He helped establish other settlements in Kanifing, including Bundung and Ebo Town.[3]

In 1840, France ceded a 40-square-kilometre (15 sq mi) area that was called British Kombo and was later renamed Kombo St. Mary. It annexed another French cession in 1853. Kombo St. Mary was part of the Gambia Colony. The Protectorate Ordinances, which was passed between 1894 and 1902, transferred Kombo St. Mary to the administration of the Gambia Protectorate. It returned to the Gambia Colony in 1946.[4]: 6–7  The local government area (LGA) of Kombo St. Mary was created in the 1960s from part of the Brikama LGA, and was the eighth LGA to be established.[4]: 7–8  Kombo Rural Authority was renamed Kanifing Urban District Council in 1974 and Kanifing Municipal Council in 1991.[5]

Kanifing grew significantly in the post-colonial era. This was largely caused by immigration from nearby countries; in 1993, foreign nationals made up 20% of the LGA's population. Kanifing's growth led to an increase in the country's urbanisation rate from 23% in 1973 to 37% in 1993.[4]: 9  This expansion led to higher property values and foreign investment.[6]

Geography

[edit]
Satellite image of Kanifing, oriented with west on top

Kanifing is one of the eight LGAs of the Gambia, and is only one that contains only one district.[7] The LGA has a land area of 75.5 km2 (29.2 sq mi).[8] It lies immediately west of the capital city Banjul; this joint conurbation is known as the Greater Banjul Area.[5] Serekunda, the country's largest urban area, is in Kanifing.[9]

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
YearPop.±%
1963 12,208—    
1973 39,404+222.8%
1983 101,504+157.6%
1993 228,214+124.8%
2013 377,134+65.3%
Source: [4]: 9 

Kanifing Municipality has a population of 377,134, as of the 2013 census,[7] making it the country's most-populated and most-densely populated district.[5]

The 2023 population estimate is 391,270, the sex ratio is 1:1 and the mean household size is 6.7. There are 40,367 people (11.63% of the population) in poverty, 3,340 (1.0%) in extreme poverty, and 117,648 (33.9%) in food poverty.[2]

The predominantly rural Mandinka people moved to cities in the post-colonial era. Kanifing's share of the Gambia's Mandinka population increased from 3% in 1963 to 16% in 1993.[4]: 15  In 1993, Kanifing had about a third of the country's Jola people, about a quarter of Serahuli people, nearly a third of Serer people, and the majority of Aku people.[4]: 18–21  It had nearly half of the country's Christians.[4]: 26 

The population has grown through both internal migration and immigration, being home in 2013 to 30% of the Gambia's immigrants and 35% of the country's internal migrants. The total number of immigrants was 33,790, of whom 34% were from Senegal and 25% were from Guinea.[5]

In Kanifing and Banjul, the Wolof language is spoken as a lingua franca in multi-ethnic groups, rather than Mandinka as in the rest of the country.[10]

Settlements

[edit]

Kanifing has 19 settlements:

Settlements in Kanifing
Settlement Population
2013[7] 2003[11] 1993[12]
Abuko 15811 8958 4345
Bakau New Town 25265 31600 26687
Bakau Wasulun 3545 1312 2195
Bakoteh 16924 17161 6594
Bundungka Kunda 55360 51869 41369
Dippa Kunda 17654 14965 15081
Ebo Town 22789 18363 2563
Faji Kunda 38121 23969 12744
Kololi 7257 5498 4416
Kotu 16358 11844 4419
Kanifing 14296 — —
Pipeline 4317 — —
Latri Kunda German 19765 24045 22902
Latri Kunda Sabiji 15619 14939 11289
Manjai Kunda 18601 14372 4800
New Jeshwang 17394 17023 21656
Old Jeshwang 7552 13319 8480
Serekunda 19944 19292 18901
Talinding 40562 34206 19773

Administration

[edit]

Administrative divisions

[edit]
The wards of Kanifing Municipal Council

Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) is led by the Lord Mayor of Kanifing, who has administrative duties. Ward councillors manage social and economic duties.[13] KMC is divided into 18 wards: Abuko, Bakau New Town, Bakoteh, Bantaba Bore Hole, Bartez, Bundung Six Junction, Dippa Kunda, Fajikunda, Kanifing, Kololi, Latrikunda Sabiji, London Corner, Manjai Kotu, New Jeshwang/Ebo Town, Old Bakau/Cape Point, Old Jeshwang, Tallinding North, and Tallinding South.[14] It is further divided into seventy-four sub-wards, each led by a sub-ward chairman.[15] The municipality has seven parliamentary constituencies: Serekunda East, Serekunda West, Serekunda Central, Jeshwang, Bakau, Latrikunda Sabiji, and Tallinding.[15]

Government

[edit]
Talib Ahmed Bensouda wearing a shirt with the Gambia flag and a badge with the Kanifing coat of arms.
Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda

Talib Ahmed Bensouda [de], a member of the United Democratic Party, was elected Lord Mayor of Kanifing in the 2018 election,[16][17] and was re-elected in the 2023 election.[16] He is the son of lawyer Amie Bensouda.[18] Talib Ahmed Bensouda succeeded Yankuba Colley as Lord Mayor.[19]

The Deputy Mayor of KMC is Binta Janneh Jallow, who is the first woman to hold the position. Jallow, who was previously the ward councillor of Bakau New Town, was appointed to the post in July 2021 to replace Pa Musa Bah, who had resigned.[20]

As of February 2024, the Crime Management Coordinator of KMC is Pateh Bah,[21] who has held the position since its creation in 2017 by the Adama Barrow administration.[22]

The Law Court Complex in Bundung houses the High Court, the Magistrates Court, and the Cadi Court.[23] Kanifing Magistrates Court functions as the Children's Court on Tuesdays and Thursdays, despite the constitution providing for a full-time juvenile court.[24]

Economy

[edit]

Kanifing is the main commercial area of the Gambia,[13] and is the district with the highest concentration of industry, hosting a large industrial estate. Most of the Gambia's hotels and coastal resorts lie within the municipality, as does Independence Stadium, the national football stadium. While government administration is an important part of the economy, 50.8% of the workforce is employed in the private sector. Altogether, 32.5% of workers are in wholesale and retail trade, 13% in manufacturing and 17.5% in services.[5]

Of the LGA's 251,712 people who are 15 or older, 122,726 are in the labour force, including 108,474 who are employed and 14,252 who are unemployed.[2] The unemployment rate among workers aged 15 to 35 is 6.5%, relatively low for the Gambia, although within this age range over 20% of those with higher education are unemployed.[5] Child labour affects 3.5% of children aged 5–11, 9.7% aged 12–14, and 14.6% aged 15–17.[2]

Bensouda's government has planned an affordable housing project to build 8,000 homes.[25]

Infrastructure

[edit]

Waste management

[edit]

The Local Government Act (the Gambia) 2002 gives municipalities the responsibility for waste management. The Environment and Sanitation Unit (ESU), part of KMC's Directorate of Services, is responsible for waste and other environmental health issues. The ESU performs daily street cleaning and collects market waste and waste from public facilities, and clears illegal dumps. KMC, which spends 25% of its budget on waste management, has no official waste-separation or recycling programmes.[26]

Bakoteh Dumpsite, the largest landfill in the country, collects all waste from the Greater Banjul Area.[26] It was created as part of a defunct mining operation.[27] It is overfilled and does not have modern disposal systems. It is located in a densely populated area near Bakoteh, Dippa Kunda and Manjai Kunda. The dumpsite's environmental impacts include methane fires, water contamination, and odour. The city hires bulldozers to transport waste to the dump but it is sometimes blocked by waterlogging in the rainy season. Many residents of the area around the dumpsite make a living from informal recycling. KMC has planned to establish a new dumpsite and turn the old one into a transfer station.[26] In 2021, it conducted a pilot program to compost the organic waste in the dump and convert it to biofuel.[27]

The Mbalit project (meaning waste in Wolof) collects household waste; it assigns each ward a garbage truck that collects waste from each household weekly. It uses a digital ticket system to pay for the service. Informal waste collectors use donkey-drawn carts to collect waste from households that are not covered by the project.[26] In 2022, KMC estimated it collected 460 tons of waste per day, of which 57.5% came from households, though this data is imprecise. The city has 370 waste management workers, of whom 227 are under the ESU and 143 are under the Mbalit project, As of 2022.[26]

Bensouda called waste management his number-one priority as mayor. KMC developed a five-year waste management plan (2017 to 2021) in consultation with the community and the private sector. It focussed on public awareness, new waste-sorting strategies, expanded household waste collection, job creation, and partnerships with informal waste management. It created the Mbalit project, the first household-waste-collection programme in the Gambia.[26] With a grant from the European Union, Bensouda launched the Kanifing Environmental Transformation Programme (KETP), which donated waste-collection equipment to the initiative.[28][29] It set up 10 communal skip bins and reduced the number of illegal dumpsites from 65 to 17. The programme's success improved the government's image.[26]

Transport

[edit]

The Gambia Transport Service Company, which runs international buses to Dakar and Bissau, has a bus depot in Kanifing.[30][31] Bensouda's government has planned an urban bus system with 50 buses and 20 routes.[25]

Education

[edit]

Kanifing has most of the country's tertiary education institutes, including the University of The Gambia, the American International University West Africa, the Gambia Technical Training Institute, and the Management Development Institute.[32]

Construction of Kanifing's library began on 18 August 2022. It will be the country's first municipal library. It is an initiative of Bensouda and the KETP, with funding from Peterborough City Council in England. The project cost 45 million dalasi.[32]

Sport

[edit]

The Kanifing Municipal Sports Committee (KM Sport) is one of the Gambia's seven regional sports organisations. Its chairperson, who is elected from the chairpersons of its constituent district sport committees, represents Kanifing in the National Sports Council.[33]

Sister cities

[edit]

Kanifing is twinned with:[34]

Madison has provided funding for Kanifing's garbage trucks and its public library.[36]

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Population and Housing Census of Gambia, 2013". Gambia Data Portal. 1 June 2015. Archived from the original on 27 April 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "The 2023 Gambia Statistical Abstract". Gambia Data Portal. 1 June 2015. Archived from the original on 27 August 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  3. ^ Jabai, Sailu Bah Saikou Suwareh (2 March 2015). ""Sayerr Jobe's name cannot be easily forgotten" Says a descendant". Foroyaa. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Hughes, Arnold; Perfect, David (31 December 2006). "Social and Economic Setting". A Political History of the Gambia, 1816-1994. Boydell and Brewer. pp. 6–40. doi:10.1515/9781580466820-006. ISBN 978-1-58046-682-0. Archived from the original on 28 August 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Mayors Dialogue on Growth and Solidarity: City profile: Kanifing, The Gambia (Report). ODI. 15 December 2020.
  6. ^ "1 Peasants by Other Means: (Im)mobility and the Making of a Village Mooring", Bush Bound, Berghahn Books, p. 56, 31 December 2015, doi:10.1515/9781805390220-006, ISBN 978-1-80539-022-0
  7. ^ a b c "Population and Housing Census of Gambia, 2013". Gambia Data Portal. 1 June 2015. Archived from the original on 27 April 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  8. ^ The Gambia: Kanifing Urban Profile (PDF). UN Habitat. ISBN 978-92-1-132380-1.
  9. ^ Kebbeh, Abou; Dsane-Aidoo, Paul; Sanyang, Kawsu; Darboe, Sheriffo M. K.; Fofana, Nuha; Ameme, Donne; Sanyang, Abdoulie M.; Darboe, Kalifa Sanneh; Darboe, Saffiatou; Sanneh, Bakary; Kenu, Ernest; Anto, Francis (25 October 2023). "Antibiotics susceptibility patterns of uropathogenic bacteria: a cross-sectional analytic study at Kanifing General Hospital, The Gambia". BMC Infectious Diseases. 23 (1): 723. doi:10.1186/s12879-023-08373-y. ISSN 1471-2334. PMC 10599079. PMID 37880663.
  10. ^ "2. Gambia's Local Languages", Local Languaging, Literacy and Multilingualism in a West African Society, Multilingual Matters, p. 35, 31 December 2015, doi:10.21832/9781783094219-004, ISBN 978-1-78309-421-9, archived from the original on 28 August 2024, retrieved 28 August 2024
  11. ^ Population and Housing Census 2003 (Report). 2003. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  12. ^ Directory of settlements (PDF). Gambia Bureau of Statistics (Report). 1993. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 April 2013.
  13. ^ a b Kinteh, Bakary; Bass, Paul (1 December 2023). "Prevalence and factors associated with occupational injuries among building construction workers in the Gambia". Injury Prevention. 29 (6): 500–505. doi:10.1136/ip-2023-044958. ISSN 1353-8047. PMC 10715471. PMID 37549985. Archived from the original on 28 August 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  14. ^ "Council Members". Kanifing Municipal Council. Archived from the original on 24 July 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Subdivisions of KMC". Kanifing Municipal Council. Archived from the original on 24 July 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  16. ^ a b "UDP celebrates success in LG election". The Point. 22 May 2023. Archived from the original on 27 August 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  17. ^ Sillah, Nyima (31 March 2023). "Re-Election of Mayor Bensouda, 'the Best is yet to come- Lawyer Martin". The Voice. Archived from the original on 27 August 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  18. ^ Manneh, Alagie (26 June 2020). "Talib Bensouda Mayor, Kanifing municipality". The Standard. Archived from the original on 2 August 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  19. ^ Sheriff Janko, Saloum (13 September 2024). "Bensouda pays homage to ex-Mayor Yankuba Colley as he signs condolence book". The Point (the Gambia). Archived from the original on 15 September 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  20. ^ "Binta Janneh Jallow: Who is the new deputy KM mayor". Fatu Network. 26 July 2021. Archived from the original on 28 August 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  21. ^ Bah, Omar (21 February 2024). "Police Say Most Crimes Committed by Foreigners". The Standard. Archived from the original on 10 October 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  22. ^ "New CMC For KMC-First Time In The History Of The Gambia Police Force". Fatu Network. 5 July 2017. Archived from the original on 28 August 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  23. ^ Ceesay, Landing (10 February 2023). "Access To Justice: Judiciary Inaugurates New Court Complex In Bundung". Kerr Fatou. Archived from the original on 28 August 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  24. ^ Foley, Edmund Amarkwei (1 April 2012). "From Old Jeshwang to Kanifing : improving children's access to justice in The Gambia - challenges and prospects". Article 40. 14 (1). Archived from the original on 10 October 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  25. ^ a b Bobb, Cherno Omar (14 October 2022). "KMC to introduce urban transport system, housing project". The Point. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  26. ^ a b c d e f g Kumar, Claire; Bailey-Morley, Anna; Kargbo, Eugenia; Sanyang, Lamin (2022). Case study: Kanifing Municipal Council (Report). ODI. pp. 32–42. Archived from the original on 11 September 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  27. ^ a b Magoum, Inès (29 July 2021). "GAMBIA: Kanifing to convert organic waste into fertiliser and biomass". Afrik 21. Archived from the original on 29 March 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  28. ^ Magoum, Inès (24 October 2022). "GAMBIA: EU grants €3 million for solid waste management in Kanifing". Afrik 21. Archived from the original on 12 June 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  29. ^ Jaiteh, Binta (14 October 2022). "KMC Launches 3 million euros Environmental Transformation Project". The Voice. Archived from the original on 15 September 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  30. ^ Nyockeh, Abdoulie (10 August 2017). "GTSC launches new Banjul-Dakar Service". The Point. Archived from the original on 28 August 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  31. ^ Nyockeh, Abdoulie (3 April 2017). "GTSC launches Gambia-Bissau international transport service". The Point. Archived from the original on 28 August 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  32. ^ a b Marong, Mariama (19 August 2022). "KMC Mayor Launches D45 Million Modern Library Project". Foroyaa. Archived from the original on 28 August 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  33. ^ Camara, Pascal Mamudou (2024). "The Gambia". In Hallmann, Kirstin; Heikkinen, Suvi; Vehmas, Hanna (eds.). Management of Sport Organizations at the Crossroad of Responsibility and Sustainability. Sports Economics, Management and Policy. Vol. 25. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. p. 176. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-52489-9_15. ISBN 978-3-031-52488-2. Archived from the original on 10 October 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  34. ^ "Twinning". Kanifing Municipal Council. Archived from the original on 10 October 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  35. ^ Branston, John (10 July 2006). "Memphis' Sister Cities". Memphis Flyer. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  36. ^ Garton, Nicholas (24 October 2019). "Madison to help build first public library in Gambian sister city Kanifing". The Capital Times. Archived from the original on 28 August 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
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