Government Spokesman Says Power Crisis Is Beyond Gambia’s Control

By Fatou Sillah

The Gambia’s government spokesman, Ebrima G. Sankareh, said the country’s persistent electricity shortages are driven largely by global and regional forces, placing them beyond the direct control of the administration of President Adama Barrow.

In an interview with West Coast Radio, Mr. Sankareh, who also serves as presidential adviser on diaspora affairs, said neither the president nor the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) had deliberately contributed to the crisis.

“NAWEC has no policy to deliberately frustrate Gambians,” he said. “This is a situation that neither President Barrow nor NAWEC has control over.”

Mr. 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 does now.”

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

Mr. 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 characterized the arrangement as one of mutual dependence rather than reliance.

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

Despite the ongoing challenges, Mr. Sankareh expressed optimism that the country would achieve more reliable electricity 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 and any genuine Gambian,” he said.