By Fatou Sillah
The Gambia’s information minister, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, has called on opposition parties to help ease public tensions over the country’s electricity crisis as frustration mounts over prolonged power outages.
Speaking in an interview with West Coast Radio, Dr. Ceesay, the minister of information, media, and broadcasting services, said the government recognizes the hardship caused by the outages and respects the right of Gambians to express their grievances through peaceful demonstrations.
But he said opposition leaders also have a responsibility to encourage their supporters to remain calm, arguing that the electricity shortage should be treated as a national challenge rather than a political one.
“His Excellency the President feels this pain, and he doesn’t sleep at night because of this issue,” Dr. Ceesay said. “I think we should work collectively, both opposition and government.”
He added that opposition parties could help “reduce tensions among the population” by reminding their supporters that the power crisis affects the entire country.
Dr. Ceesay also addressed criticism over the continued supply of electricity to State House while parts of Banjul have experienced prolonged outages.
He defended the arrangement on national security grounds, describing the State House as critical infrastructure that must have a reliable power supply.
“State House is one critical piece of infrastructure, and it would defy logic if anybody should deny or deprive the State House of energy,” he said.
Other essential facilities, including telecommunications systems, water infrastructure, and security installations, also require reliable electricity because disruptions to those services could have broader consequences, he said.
Dr. Ceesay said the government was working around the clock on short- and long-term measures to restore reliable electricity and appealed for patience as those efforts continue.
He acknowledged that the crisis cuts across political affiliations, saying Gambians affected by the outages are primarily concerned about reliable electricity and their ability to meet basic needs.
The minister reiterated that the government recognizes peaceful demonstrations as a legitimate means for citizens to voice dissatisfaction. But he cautioned against turning the electricity crisis into a partisan political confrontation or allowing protests to descend into violence.
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