By Makutu Manneh
Talib Ahmed Bensouda, the leader of the UNITE Party and mayor of the Kanifing Municipal Council, criticized President Adama Barrow’s administration on Friday, accusing it of lacking strategic direction and competent leadership and arguing that the country’s persistent electricity crisis reflects deeper governance failures.
Speaking at the UNITE Party Seattle Gala Dinner and Fundraising event, Bensouda said The Gambia’s most pressing challenge is not merely infrastructure but governance, contending that the government has failed to develop and execute long-term plans.
“The biggest challenge we have today is governance,” Bensouda said. “Every day President Barrow goes into office, and he mixes it up. There is no plan.”
Bensouda cited the recent electricity crisis involving the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) as evidence of what he described as poor planning. While acknowledging that power shortages have long been a challenge in The Gambia, he argued that the current administration has relied on short-term responses instead of pursuing lasting solutions.
He said the outages were particularly devastating during the recent Eid al-Adha holiday, when many families had purchased sacrificial rams after saving portions of their salaries or taking loans. According to Bensouda, prolonged blackouts, in some cases lasting up to 24 hours, caused meat stored in household freezers to spoil.
He also said the outages dealt a heavy financial blow to young tailors, many of whom depend on the Eid season for a significant share of their annual income.
“The global crisis in the Strait of Hormuz meant Senegal, Guinea, and other countries had to take care of their own,” Bensouda said. “The Gambia had no power. If you were in The Gambia recently, you would be horrified. People stayed 24 hours without electricity, and it happened at the worst possible time, during the Eid holiday.”
Bensouda further claimed that the government had turned to Senegal for a more expensive electricity supply arrangement, which he said would result in losses of about $5 million over a two-month period. He did not provide evidence to support the figure.
Addressing supporters in Seattle, Bensouda said The Gambia needs capable leadership and forward-looking planning to address recurring energy challenges and strengthen public institutions, warning that continued policy failures would further undermine livelihoods and the country’s development.
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