Serekunda (or Serrekunda; ) is a major city and the largest metropolitan area in

The Gambia The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the List of African countries by area, smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for ...

. It is situated close to the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

coast, on the

Gambia River The Gambia River (formerly known as the River Gambra, French language, French: ''Fleuve Gambie'', Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Rio Gâmbia'') is a major river in West Africa, running from the Fouta Djallon plateau in north Guinea westward ...

, near the capital,

Banjul Banjul (, (US) and ), officially the City of Banjul, is the capital city of The Gambia. It is the centre of the eponymous administrative division which is home to an estimated 400,000 residents, making it The Gambia's largest and most densely ...

. Serekunda and Banjul form an urban area known as the Kombos, with about half of the population of the Gambia. Serekunda was named for

Sayerr Jobe Sayerr Jobe was the founder of Serekunda, the largest city in The Gambia. Sayerr was originally from the town in Koki, Senegal, Koki in the Kingdom of Cayor, in what is now northern Senegal. He was part of the wider Jobe (or Diop) family, which ...

, who founded it in the 19th century. It merged with several villages into a larger urban area. Banjul's growth has been restricted due to being a small island, leading to Serekunda growing in population and businesses moving there from Banjul. Serekunda has been the site of political protests, and candidates from several parties have won seats. Since the 1980s, Serekunda has been a regional centre of the

Tablighi Jamaat Tablighi Jamaat ( , also translated as "propagation party" or "preaching party") is an international Islamic schools and branches, Islamic religious movement. It focuses on exhorting Muslims to be more religiously observant and encourages f ...

religious movement. Serekunda's market is the largest in the country. Along the coast, the Senegambia Strip is a popular place for foreign tourists, including sex tourists. Gambian wrestling is a popular sport, and the city has multiple

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

stadiums.

History

Foundation and toponymy

Serekunda was founded in the second half of the 19th century by

, a Wolof man from Koki in the Kingdom of

Cayor The Cayor Kingdom (; ) was from 1549 to 1876 the largest and most powerful kingdom that split off from the Jolof Empire in what is now Senegal. The Cayor Kingdom was located in northern and central Senegal, southeast of Waalo, west of the kingdom ...

, in what is now northern

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

. Jobe, whose family was part of the royal class, left Koki due to a power struggle. He went upriver to Niumi, then Banjul, before establishing Serekunda. Sukuta was the only nearby settlement, and the area was a thick forest. He delegated power to his seven sons before dying in 1896. The name 'Serekunda' is a corruption of "Sayerr Jobe Kunda". The street where his home was located was named Sayerr Jobe Avenue. Several villages, including Dippakunda, Latrikunda, and Serekunda, grew into the city of Serekunda. Touray Kunda was established by one of the first settler families.

Pre-independence

In the 1960 Gambian parliamentary election, the United Party (UP)'s candidate for the Kombo West seat (now in Serekunda) was , a retired lawyer who had sometimes acted as party leader in place of his half-brother, Pierre Sarr N'Jie. The Democratic Congress Alliance (DCA) ran Reverend J. C. Faye, the party leader who was barred from running in his home of New Town. H. O. Semega-Janneh, a local member of the Legislative Council, ran as an independent and won. In the 1962 election, the People's Progressive Party (PPP) supported the DCA's candidate in Serekunda. Semega-Janneh, who had joined the UP, was reelected. The unsuccessful PPP candidate in Kombo West, Famara Wassa Touray, was arrested amid electoral unrest.

Post-independence

In the 1960s, Serekunda and

Bakau Bakau is a town on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Gambia, Gambia, west of Gambia's capital city of Banjul. It is known for its botanical gardens, its crocodile pool ''Bakau Kachikally'' and for the beaches at Cape Point (Gambia), Cap ...

expanded as

satellite town A satellite city or satellite town is a smaller municipality or settlement that is part of (or on the edge of) a larger metropolitan area and serves as a regional population and employment center. It differs from mere suburbs, subdivisions a ...

s of Bathurst (now

), forming a "Mandinka belt". In the 1966 election, Semega-Janneh was the PPP candidate for Serekunda. The UP chose . Jagne won with 68% of the vote. In the 1972 election, the PPP chose youth leader Omar A. Jallow to challenge Jagne. Jagne was one of only three UP candidates to win. After the National Convention Party (NCP) was founded in 1975, Serekunda and neighbouring Bakau were the towns with the highest support for it outside of the rural Badibbu area. Though the NCP was primarily a Mandinka party, it, as well as the PPP, had wide support across ethnic groups in Serekunda. It gained support from Badibbu migrants in Serekunda. Jagne joined the NCP. In 1977, the Serekunda parliamentary constituency was split in two. In that year's election, the PPP selected Jallow for the Serekunda East seat and for Serekunda West. The NCP selected Jagne for Serekunda West. Serekunda West elected the NCP and Serekunda East elected the PPP. Both races were close. In the 1979 local elections, the Kanifing Urban District Council had eight seats won by the PPP and the remaining four won by the NCP. Serekunda's vote in this election was 63% in favour of PPP. In the

1982 Gambian general election General elections were held in the Gambia on 4 and 5 May 1982. Following a constitutional amendment in March 1982, for the first time the president was elected by a popular vote alongside the National Assembly. The leaders of the 1981 attempted coup held covert meetings in Serekunda. Many young people in the city supported the coup due to disillusionment with the political system and living standards. Jagne was arrested on charges of supporting the coup and was released one week before the 1982 election. The NCP lost support in the election due to the coup, and Jagne lost to N'Jie of the PPP in Serekunda West. In the 1987 election, Jagne retook the seat. Halifa Sallah ran in Serekunda East under the newly established

People's Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism The People's Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS) is a socialist political party in the Gambia. Since 2005, it has been part of the National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD). It was part of Coalition 2016 ...

(PDOIS), which only ran in five races. He got 9.8% of the vote. In the 1992 election, N'Jie defeated Jagne. Sallah ran again with 11% of the vote. A 1982 survey found that less than 10% of workers in Serekunda were in unions. In 1985, Serekunda's population was estimated to be 70,000. Many residents worked in

. About 3% of residents were employed as farmers, and others raised crops or livestock, unlike in Banjul.

Jammeh and Barrow administrations

When Jammeh's government redistributed the parliamentary constituencies, it used chieftaincy districts rather than population, which led to more populated areas, especially Serekunda, being underrepresented. In the

1997 Gambian parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in the Gambia on 2 January 1997 three months after 1996 Gambian presidential election, presidential elections. The first parliamentary elections since Yahya Jammeh's 1994 Gambian coup d'état, 1994 coup, they were ...

, the first after Jammeh took power, the Serekunda East seat was won by the little-known Fabakary Jatta in an upset against Sallah. Sallah did not contest the result. Sallah later held the Serekunda Central seat until he lost it to the

Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction The Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) is a political party in the Gambia. Founded by army officers who staged the 1994 coup, it was the dominant party of the Gambia from 1996 to 2016 under president Yahya Jammeh. His ...

in the 2007 election. In March 1996, students at the Muslim High School in Serekunda were involved in a riot against

Yahya Jammeh Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh (born 25 May 1965) is a Gambian politician and former soldier, who served as President of the Gambia from 1996 to 2017. He was the Chairman of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC) from 1994 ...

's military rule, which led to its principal, Pa Modou N'jie, being fired. In October 2009, United Democratic Party (UDP) activist Femi Peters was arrested for organising an anti-Jammeh rally in Serekunda. He was sentenced to one year of prison. In 2015, the Kanifing municipal government renamed Sayerr Jobe Avenue after the mayor, Yankuba Colley. The decision was criticised by Jobe's heirs, who thought it ignored his legacy, and other residents, who found it unnecessary to adapt to a new name. In December 2016, after Jammeh rejected his loss of the election, the military deployed in Banjul and Serekunda. The retaliatory ECOWAS military intervention in the Gambia included the deployment of Nigerian forces in Serekunda and

Brikama Brikama is one of the largest cities in the Gambia. It is also called 'Satey Ba' by the locals, meaning "big town". It lies southwest of the country's capital, Banjul. Brikama is the headquarters of the Brikama Local Government Area (formerly th ...

. On 21 January 2017, when Jammeh left the country, a crowd celebrated at Westfield Junction in Serekunda. The management of emigrants who returned to the country post-Jammeh was concentrated in Serekunda. A group of returnees who had been stuck in transit in Libya stoned the

International Organization for Migration The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a United Nations related organization working in the field of migration. The organization implements operational assistance programmes for Human migration, migrants, including internally displa ...

's office in Serekunda, feeling frustrated that the government had not kept its promise to reintegrate them. After incumbent

Adama Barrow Adama Barrow (, born 15 February 1965) is a The Gambia, Gambian politician and real estate developer who has served as President of The Gambia since 2017. Born in Mankamang Kunda, a village in Jimara district, he attended Crab Island Secondary ...

won the 2021 Gambian presidential election, the UDP candidate

Ousainou Darboe A.N.M Ousainou Darboe (born 8 August 1948) is a Gambian politician and leader of the main opposition United Democratic Party (The Gambia), United Democratic Party (UDP). He previously served as Vice-President of the Gambia and Minister of Women's ...

contested the result. A group of supporters gathered at his house in Serekunda and were dispersed with tear gas, which was condemned by the

National Human Rights Commission A human rights commission, also known as a human relations commission, is a body set up to investigate, promote or protect human rights. The term may refer to international, national or subnational bodies set up for this purpose, such as nationa ...

Geography

Serekunda and

are located from each other, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, at the mouth of the

. Serekunda is the most populous urban agglomeration in the Gambia. It includes the towns of London Corner, Dippakunda, Bundung, and Tallinding and is near the coastal towns of Kotu and Kololi. The

conurbation A conurbation is a region consisting of a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ...

of Serekunda and Banjul, known as the Kombos, is the only major urban area in the Gambia. The expansion of Banjul has been limited as it is an island surrounded by

mangrove swamp Mangrove forests, also called mangrove swamps, mangrove thickets or mangals, are productive wetlands that occur in coastal intertidal zones. Mangrove forests grow mainly at tropical and subtropical latitudes because mangrove trees cannot withs ...

s, leading to Serekunda gaining its overflow population and some of its institutions. In the 2000s, offices in Banjul moved to more modern offices with better infrastructure in Serekunda.

expanded from a fishing village to part of the

urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city". Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted ...

of Serekunda.

Climate

Serekunda is near the

Sahara Desert The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...

. It is cloudless on 80% of days. Its total ozone amount ranges from 225 to 329 Dobson units, with a mean of 268.1±15.97 Dobson units, as of 1993 to 1996. Its ozone peak is during the rainy season, from June to October. The average daily erythemal ultraviolet dose is 5 kilojoules per square metre, with more variation during the rainy season.

Demographics

Population

As of the 2013 Population and Housing Census, the settlement of Serekunda has 19,944 people, including 9,758 women. Kanifing, which includes Serekunda, has a population of 382,096, including 189,679 males and 192,417 females. It has 67,119 households, with an average household size of 5.70. The urban agglomeration of Kanifing and Serekunda has about half of the country's population, .

Languages

Serekunda is ethnically and linguistically diverse. The

Wolof language Wolof ( ; , ) is a Niger–Congo language spoken by the Wolof people in much of the West African subregion of Senegambia that is split between the countries of Senegal, The Gambia and Mauritania. Like the neighbouring languages Serer and Fula, ...

serves as a

lingua franca A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, link language or language of wider communication (LWC), is a Natural language, language systematically used to make co ...

in Serekunda and across the west of the country. Nearly all signage is in

Gambian English Gambian English is the variety of English spoken in The Gambia. Gambian English has fewer speakers than any other variety of West African English (WAE), and shares similarities with Sierra Leonean English. The differences between Gambian English a ...

. Nearly all residents speak either Wolof or Mandinka.

Immigration

People from villages come to the Kombos to study, work, run small businesses, or join businesses of relatives. On average, these villagers stay for 2.2 years, . Serekunda is an

ethnic enclave In sociology, an ethnic enclave is a geographic area with high ethnic concentration, characteristic cultural identity, and economic activity. The term is usually used to refer to either a residential area or a workspace with a high concentration ...

Soninke people The Soninke (Sarakolleh) people are a West African Mande languages, Mande-speaking ethnic group found in Mali, southern Mauritania, eastern Senegal, The Gambia, and Guinea (especially Fouta Djallon). They speak the Soninke language, also called ...

, including many from the town of Sabi. Some Soninke migrants move their families to Serekunda. In the 1970s and 1980s, many wealthy Soninke people chose to move to the Kombos for business reasons. In 2003, after the Sierra Leonean Civil War, thousands of Sierra Leoneans lived in Serekunda and Bakau. Most identified as migrants rather than refugees, so they did not receive

UNHCR The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and Humanitarian protection, protect refugees, Internally displaced person, forcibly displaced communities, and Statelessness, s ...

aid; fewer than 200 lived in the Koudoum Refugee Camp. Many of the migrants had formal education and sought skilled jobs. About fifteen Sierra Leonean youth clubs were formed in Serekunda, mostly affiliated with the politically influential Sierra Leonean Union (SLENU), formed in the 1980s. A Sierra Leonean

centre was formed.

Religion

Islam

The Serekunda Mosque is the oldest mosque in the area. It is on Sayerr Jobe Avenue, across from the site of Jobe's home. The Pipeline Mosque is on Kairaba Avenue. It has capacity for 3,000 people and a 33-metre-tall

minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

. It was founded by Alhaji Daddy Jobe and opened in 1990 as the Pipeline neighbourhood grew. The Islamic Solidarity Association of West Africa functions as a non-governmental organisation that conducts foreign affairs, and it has built a medical centre. In 2000, Soninke religious leaders established the Imam Malik Institute, a

madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes Romanization of Arabic, romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any Educational institution, type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whet ...

and boarding school that teaches the

sunnah is the body of traditions and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad that constitute a model for Muslims to follow. The sunnah is what all the Muslims of Muhammad's time supposedly saw, followed, and passed on to the next generations. Diff ...

. It has gradually expanded since its establishment, with teachers who studied in the Middle East.

Tablighi Jamaat movement

Serekunda is a centre of the

Islamic movement. The Markaz (), a ''

dawah ' (, , "invitation", also spelt , , , or ) is the act of inviting people to Islam. The plural is () or (). Preachers who engage in dawah are known as da'i. Etymology literally means "issuing a summons" or "making an invitation". Gramma ...

'' centre in the Bundung neighbourhood, is the country's main centre of the Jamaat. The Markaz is open to the public and congregates on Thursdays. Pakistani preachers preach at the compound. It is a two-storey building with an adjacent mosque that can seat 2,000 people, surrounded by

barbed wire Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire Barbed wire, also known as barb wire or bob wire (in the Southern and Southwestern United States), is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the ...

. It has a reputation for being secretive. Adherents from across West Africa convene in the city. Gambians who convert to the Jamaat often move away from their families to Serekunda. The term "Markaz" is used to refer to the mosque and the movement. Tablighi missionaries from South Asia first came to the Gambia in the 1960s but were not successful until the early 1990s. Imam Karamoko Dukureh, the son of a marabout from the village of Gambissara, established the Jamaat in the Gambia after studying in Saudi Arabia. He returned to Gambissara in the 1980s and began to build a mosque with foreign donations. The villagers, who did not want a second mosque, got the government to intervene in 1993. Once Jammeh took power, his government approved the mosque, but he then prohibited it to gain support from village elders. The government demolished the mosque and arrested four followers. Followers bought land in Bundung and built a compound that Dukureh moved into. The compound was replaced with a brick building that gradually expanded. Dukureh served as the imam of the Markaz until his death in 2000. As women have not been permitted to attend regular services since 2003, five homes of women who adhere to the Jamaat host Sunday services.

Minority religions

Churches include the Trinity Methodist Church and Saint Therese's Catholic Church. After the Baháʼí missionary Fariborz Roozbehyan arrived in the Gambia in February 1954, a

Spiritual Assembly Spiritual Assembly is a term given by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá to refer to elected councils that govern the Baháʼí Faith. Because the Baháʼí Faith has no clergy, they carry out the affairs of the community. In addition to existing at the local level ...

was established in Serekunda.

Economy

According to the 2013 economic census, Kanifing had 14,924 business establishments, the highest of any local government area and 40.3% of the country's total. The districts of Serekunda West, Serekunda East, and Serekunda Central respectively had 5,051, 3,547, and 3,198 establishments. Residents of nearby villages such as Tujereng and Jambanjally farm on the weekends and have weekday jobs in Serekunda. Some vendors at Serekunda Market are farmers. Serekunda and other Gambian cities have informal trade networks that smuggle products across the Gambia–Senegal border.

Serekunda Market

Serekunda Market, also called Sandika, is in the centre of the city. It is the largest market in the country. Traders have sold produce there since the early nineteenth century. The market expanded from a group of women selling fish and vegetables by a dirt road. The market has many vendors of vegetables and fish. It is a popular place to buy

batik Batik is a dyeing technique using wax Resist dyeing, resist. The term is also used to describe patterned textiles created with that technique. Batik is made by drawing or stamping wax on a cloth to prevent colour absorption during the dyein ...

. It is located alongside businesses including an electronics repair "black market". Vendors at the market have said it is too small, and some cannot secure space there. They have complained about floods during the rainy season causing lower patronage. Expired products are frequently sold. Solar-powered cold storage was introduced in 2020, funded by the Kanifing Municipal Council and the High Commission of the United Kingdom. , it is not operational.

Tourism

The Senegambia Strip is a short road that contains many restaurants and music venues. It is the country's most popular site for beachside entertainment. It receives tourists from wealthy countries, whose spending is a major contributor to the economy. The Serekunda–Banjul area has twenty hotels where 90% of tourists stay, and 84% of tourists book through

tour operator A tour operator is a business that typically combines and organizes lodging, accommodations, meals, sightseeing and transportation components, in order to create a package tour. They advertise and produce brochures to promote their products, holi ...

s, . A beachfront area of Kololi has popular luxury hotels, including the Kairaba Hotel and the Senegambia Hotel. The Senegambia Strip has a large market for

sex tourism Sex tourism is the practice of traveling to foreign countries, often on a different continent, with the intention of engaging in sexual activity or relationships, in exchange providing money or lifestyle support. This practice predominantly oper ...

. Young men looking for money, known as " bumsters", provide sex for tourists. Residents of Serekunda believe sex tourism has become a norm and pedophilic activities harm local youth. Many are concerned that European tourists take advantage of economic inequality by persuading poor Gambians to have sex for money. Politicians have proposed subsidising new accommodations or increasing penalties for foreign sex tourists.

Infrastructure

Transportation

The Banjul-Serekunda Highway is a four-lane highway from Westfield to Banjul that crosses Denton Bridge. The highway receives traffic from thousands of residents who commute to work in Banjul. Serekunda is linked to Banjul by a public bus service and private taxis. Westfield Junction is a busy intersection at the terminus of the highway to Banjul. From the intersection, drivers can go to coastal Serekunda or continue inland. Sayerr Jobe Avenue goes from Westfield to London Corner via central Serekunda. It is a shopping street with expensive properties. It has heavy traffic between the city and the suburbs.

Healthcare

Kanifing General Hospital, formerly known as Serrekunda General Hospital, is a tertiary referral hospital. It serves a

catchment area A catchment area in human geography, is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...

of 600,000 people, and it has 114 beds and 2 operating theatres, as of 2021. Its

thyroid The thyroid, or thyroid gland, is an endocrine gland in vertebrates. In humans, it is a butterfly-shaped gland located in the neck below the Adam's apple. It consists of two connected lobes. The lower two thirds of the lobes are connected by ...

clinic was established in 2015. The hospital's One Stop Centre takes referrals for psychiatric patients. It is the country's second-biggest trauma centre. It does not have an

orthopaedic Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternative spelling orthopaedics) is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...

unit. Serekunda Health Centre serves a catchment area of 123,000 people in Serekunda and nearby settlements. It is one of the busiest health facilities in the Gambia. It delivers over 300 babies per month. It has an infant welfare clinic. Kanifing General Hospital and the Serekunda Health Centre provide

infertility In biology, infertility is the inability of a male and female organism to Sexual reproduction, reproduce. It is usually not the natural state of a healthy organism that has reached sexual maturity, so children who have not undergone puberty, whi ...

care. Serekunda Health Centre has seen a decrease in

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

cases since 2005.

Media and communications

The Serekunda

Internet Exchange Point Internet exchange points (IXes or IXPs) are common grounds of Internet Protocol, IP networking, allowing participant Internet service provider, Internet service providers (ISPs) to exchange data destined for their respective networks. IXPs are ...

began service in July 2014. The exchange, run by OG Financial Services Ltd., provides the internet for a large part of West Africa. Radio 1 FM is an independent commercial radio station established in 1990.

Waste management

Kanifing's waste is dumped in Bakoteh Dump Site, located on a major road to Serekunda. The Kanifing Municipal Council's Cleansing Services Unit was established in 1984, funded by the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

. It is an open dump, and the only method of managing the waste is open burning. It causes air, soil, and groundwater pollution, as well as respiratory infections, methane emissions, and odour. The Kanifing Environmental Transformation Program, launched in 2022, plans to add more rubbish bins and convert Bakoteh Dump Site to a transfer station. Waste comes from households and Serekunda Market, often picked up from the street. Households widely lack information on proper disposal. In 2017, vendors at the market issued complaints about residents dumping trash in the market. The KMC had stopped their collection of the waste. Waste dumping at the market has caused infestations and discouraged people from shopping there.

Sport

Wrestling

Gambian wrestling was popularised in Serekunda by Bocar Janneh, who founded the B.O. Semega Janneh arena in Dippa Kunda. Semega Promotion, founded by Fatoumata Semega-Janneh, has held matches between local wrestlers at the Serekunda West Mini Stadium. Serekunda Mbolo is a team in the Gambia Wrestling Association. Wrestling matches are popular among foreign tourists.

Football

Ahead of the country hosting the 2005 African U-17 Championship, the Gambia Football Federation upgraded two stadiums in Serekunda, with support from the government and the FIFA Forward programme. The Gambia National Olympic Committee's Sport Infrastructure Initiative Project completed a mini stadium in Serekunda in 2001, which opened in 2007. The Serekunda East and Serekunda West football stadiums had renovations in 2018. Two local football clubs, Serrekunda United and Latrikunda United, play in the GFA League Second Division. The Serekunda Central Sports Committee joined the Nawettan in 2011. The Serekunda East Sports Development Organization was the subject of a petition of no confidence on 5 March 2016. Seven teams had been relegated from the Nawettan. It had not held

annual general meeting An annual general meeting (AGM, also known as the annual meeting) is a meeting of the general membership of an organization. These organizations include membership associations and companies with shareholders. These meetings may be required ...

s from 2013 to 2015. It was accused of mismanaging and embezzling 1.7 million dalasi. The investigation recommended the suspension of the organisation.

References

{{Authority control Populated places in the Gambia Greater Banjul Area Port cities in Africa Port cities and towns of the Atlantic Ocean