President of the Gambia H.E Adama Barrow will be joined by top officials of the country and some diplomatic mission heads and The Gambia people to inaugurate the country’s 23MW peak solar project located in Jambur, Kombo South District, West Coast Region on Saturday March 9, 2024.
The project, which was funded by the World Bank, European Investment Bank and the European Union is expected to expand electricity access to The Gambians, create jobs and spur economic growth.
Commenting on the project ahead of the official inauguration, President Adama Barrow said the Jambur solar plant is a symbol of commitment to cleaner, brighter future for The Gambia.
“The significant project made possible through the collaboration of the European Union Investment Bank (EIB), European Union, World Bank and NAWEC under GERMP, represents a major step forward in diversifying The Gambia’s energy mix and reducing dependence on fossil fuels,” a statement issued by National Water and Electricity Company said.
In an exclusive interview with Michael Creg Afful, editor of energynewsafrica.com, in Cape Town, South Africa, during the African Energy Week 2023, Nani Juwara, the Managing Director of NAWEC, said the project is the first of its kind in The Gambia and would be connected to the national grid.
The Gambian Government, he explained, is also working with the West Africa Power Pool to develop a 150MW solar plant project in the country.
“So we are currently working on the first phase of the project which is going to be 50MW,” he noted.
He affirmed that studies had already been completed, adding that tender documents had also been done and waiting for the r procurement process, which is also expected to be done before the end of this year.
Should the project start as stated, Nani Juwara observed that it could be launched before the end of 2024.
Touching on the access to electricity in The Gambia, he said currently, about 60 per cent of the population has access to power while a chunk of the rural folks do not have it.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com