The Gambia For All (GFA) party has issued a statement critising the government for having “no coherent, long-term strategy for addressing the country’s energy needs”.
The statement noted: “We note with grave concern the deepening electricity crisis gripping our nation. We stand in full solidarity with the Gambian people as they endure yet another period of prolonged and highly disruptive power outages. This crisis is the predictable consequence of poor leadership, characterised by misplaced priorities and political short-sightedness.
“Rather than investing in domestic electricity generation, which is the very foundation of a functional energy sector, the Adama Barrow government has chosen to pursue a strategy centered almost entirely on expanding distribution. Connecting households with electrical wires is politically convenient; it is visible, photographable, and easy to campaign on. But it puts the cart before the horse. Expanding the distribution network while generation capacity remains critically inadequate does not give Gambians access to electricity – it gives them access to darkness through new wires.
“The numbers speak for themselves. The Gambia currently generates less than 30 megawatts of electricity domestically. The majority of our supply (over 50MW) is imported from Senegal. This is not only among the lowest generation capacity on the African continent; it is lower than what we produced under previous administrations. By this measure, we have not progressed – we have regressed…”
