President Barrow to Deliver Statement on Electricity Crisis After Visits to Kotu, Brikama Power Stations

By Makutu Manneh

President Adama Barrow said Tuesday that he would address the nation later in the day on The Gambia’s worsening electricity crisis, promising to restore reliable power after visiting NAWEC facilities in Kotu and Brikama.

Mr. Barrow spoke to reporters after inspecting the two power stations, a day after young people took to the streets in parts of Banjul and the Greater Banjul Area to protest persistent power outages.

The disruptions have intensified public frustration over the reliability of the country’s electricity supply and increased pressure on the government to find an immediate solution.

“I am speaking from my heart,” Mr. Barrow said. “I will be giving a statement later in the day. I am talking to my citizens, the Gambian people.”

He described himself as a tolerant, peaceful, and development-oriented president and said his administration was committed to resolving the electricity problem.

Mr. Barrow did not provide details of the measures he planned to announce later Tuesday but expressed confidence that his government could overcome the crisis using its experience, resources, and support from development partners.

He said his approach to governing had been shaped by his business background and a preference for overseeing projects in the field rather than relying solely on reports and plans.

The president then pointed to his administration’s infrastructure record, citing a roughly 400-kilometer road project valued at more than 10 billion dalasis. He said some sections were about 80 to 90 percent complete, while others had already been inaugurated.

Mr. Barrow also cited road projects in Hakalang, Lamin Koto-Passamas, and Basse-Koina, saying successive governments had failed to deliver similar infrastructure during the country’s first 52 years of independence.

He pointed to the construction of three bridges during his presidency and said the projects had improved connections across the country and substantially reduced travel times. He also highlighted the OIC six-lane highway and its overpasses as evidence of his administration’s infrastructure investments.

On health care, Mr. Barrow said work was underway to modernize the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital, including improvements to its wards. He also referred to plans for a 1,500-bed emergency hospital in Farato.

The president said he had also laid the foundation stone for what he described as a 1,500-kilometer road project, which he called unprecedented in the country’s history.

But Mr. Barrow repeatedly returned to the electricity crisis, assuring Gambians that his administration would find a solution.

He said he would draw on his government’s experience, technical expertise, partnerships, and available resources to restore electricity supply.

The president’s visits to Kotu and Brikama came amid heightened public scrutiny of NAWEC and the government’s handling of prolonged outages, which have disrupted households and businesses and, on Monday night, spilled into street protests.

Mr. Barrow said further details of the government’s response would be outlined in his address later Tuesday.