Gambia’s Power Crisis Beyond Government Control — Spokesperson

The Gambian government has insisted that the persistent electricity supply shortfalls being experienced in the country are largely driven by global and regional factors and are beyond the direct control of the administration of President Adama Barrow.

According to Government Spokesperson Ebrima G. Sankareh, who also serves as Presidential Adviser on Diaspora Affairs, neither the President nor the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) has deliberately contributed to the current power crisis.

“NAWEC has no policy to deliberately frustrate Gambians. This is a situation that neither President Barrow nor NAWEC has control over,” Sankareh said during an interview on West Coast Radio on Tuesday.

Sankareh described the challenges facing the electricity sector as part of a broader global strain affecting governments worldwide.

He pointed to rising energy costs and supply disruptions as key factors complicating the situation.

“This is way beyond the Gambian government,” he said.

“The parameters are so global; navigating this situation is actually what every government is doing now.”

He added that the pressures were not unique to The Gambia, noting that even developed countries are grappling with similar challenges.

“There is not a single government on the face of the Earth that is not affected by these global realities,” he said, citing sharp increases in jet fuel prices in Europe.

Sankareh also emphasized that The Gambia’s electricity system is integrated into a regional network through the Organisation for the Development of the Gambia River Basin (OMVG), a partnership involving The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Senegal.

He described the arrangement as one of mutual dependence rather than reliance.

“We are not dependent; we are interdependent,” he said.

Despite the ongoing challenges, Sankareh expressed optimism that the country would achieve a more reliable electricity supply in the future.

“I would hope and aspire to a day when you and I will wake up every day without any sporadic electricity problems. That is the hope of the President; it is the hope of every genuine Gambian,” he said.