Gambia President Adama Barrow on Tuesday pledged to address widespread electricity shortages affecting households and businesses, saying power supply would improve by the end of October.
The pledge came amid growing public anger over persistent outages that have disrupted daily life and economic activity across the country, prompting street protests in the capital Banjul on Monday night.
Protesters carried candles through parts of Banjul and chanted for the restoration of electricity, according to local reports. The demonstrations prompted Barrow to visit the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) on Tuesday.
Addressing the nation from State House on Tuesday evening, Barrow said the government was taking steps to increase domestic generation capacity, including the installation of an additional 24 megawatts at the Brikama Power Station and plans for a 50-megawatt solar power plant in Soma.
“I must admit, however, the shortcomings in our planning, power generation, and maintenance systems to take corrective measures,” Barrow said.
The president acknowledged the hardship caused by the outages, saying families were enduring extreme heat, children were studying in darkness and households were losing food because of inadequate refrigeration.
“I am aware of your discomfort and frustrations wherever you may be,” he said.
Barrow attributed part of the electricity crisis to wider regional power shortages, saying countries connected through the West African Power Pool were experiencing similar challenges.
He cited record electricity demand, failures at major generating units and seasonal conditions affecting hydropower production through the Organisation for the Development of the Gambia River (OMVG).
The president also acknowledged that domestic weaknesses had contributed to the situation.
An additional 24-MW generation unit at the Brikama Power Station is in the final stages of installation and is expected to be commissioned by the end of October, Barrow said.
He also said a contract had been awarded for a 50-MW solar power plant in Soma and that the contractor was mobilising resources to begin construction.
Solar generation would help meet daytime demand while allowing conventional generators to be reserved for higher evening demand, he said.
Barrow also announced the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Electricity Supply, chaired by Vice President Muhammed B.S. Jallow.
The task force will report directly to the president and provide public updates on the electricity situation every two weeks, he said.
Barrow defended his administration’s record on expanding electricity access, saying it had risen from 36% of the population in 2017 to about 90% currently.
He said the expansion had brought electricity to communities that previously had no access, but acknowledged that the government now needed to ensure sufficient and reliable generation to meet rising demand.
“What we have achieved in increasing access to electricity is what we are determined to do for power generation,” Barrow said.
The president also appealed for restraint following the protests and warned against damage to transformers, power lines and other electricity infrastructure.
“You have the right to express your views honestly, but let us not, in our frustration, tear down what we built with our own hands through public funds,” Barrow said.
Damage to electricity infrastructure would further disrupt supplies and divert government resources towards repairs and replacement, he said.
Barrow stopped short of promising an immediate end to the outages but set a timeline for improvement.
“I will not promise you what the Government cannot deliver, but we commit that the electricity supply situation in the country will improve by the end of October 2026,” he said.
He urged Gambians to remain patient and exercise restraint as engineers and government officials work to stabilise the electricity system.
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