Lamin Manneh Says UDP Government Would Build Power Generation Capacity Within Two Years

By Makutu Manneh

Lamin Manneh, the United Democratic Party’s deputy administrative secretary for external affairs, says a UDP government would seek to build enough domestic generation capacity to stabilize The Gambia’s electricity supply within two years of taking office.

Speaking on Kerr Fatou, Manneh was asked how a UDP administration would address the country’s electricity challenges. He said the government would initially have little choice but to continue importing electricity while settling outstanding obligations related to power supplied from neighboring countries.

“For the first six months or so, we will have to continue buying electricity from outside and pay the electricity debt,” Manneh said.

He said the party would have to take what he described as a realistic approach to the situation, including addressing obligations involving the National Water and Electricity Company and electricity suppliers in Senegal and Guinea.

At the same time, Manneh said a UDP government would begin investing in domestic generation capacity. He estimated that developing sufficient capacity would take between 18 and 24 months and expressed confidence that a more stable electricity supply could be achieved within two years.

Asked how a UDP government would finance such investments, Manneh argued that funding is available for viable energy projects through international financial institutions.

“If there is any good bankable project, there is money out there for energy generation,” he said.

Manneh pointed to financing initiatives by the African Development Bank for renewable and other energy projects across Africa as an example of potential external funding.

He said a UDP administration would also look within the national budget for resources, arguing that significant savings could be made by reducing government spending in areas such as official travel, conferences, vehicles and fuel.

“The amount of money going into travel, conferences, vehicles, petrol, Meet the People Tour — if you cut all this, you will save billions of dalasis every year,” Manneh said.

He also argued that reducing corruption and financial mismanagement could free up additional public resources, citing findings contained in government audit reports.

“Corruption — the amount of money stolen in this country every year is billions of dalasis,” he said. “We see this in every audit report.”