Dr. Gajigo Accuses Government of Financial Mismanagement in Karpowership Deal
By Makutu Manneh
Dr. Ousman Gajigo, leader of the Patriotic Progressive Alliance (PPA), has accused the Gambian government of gross financial mismanagement in its long-term electricity supply agreement with the Turkish energy provider Karpowership.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Kerr Fatou, Dr. Gajigo described the seven-year arrangement as “the worst power purchase agreement in the history of energy transactions,” arguing that the deal represents a profound misuse of public funds.
The government’s partnership with Karpowership—under which a ship-based power plant stationed in Banjul supplies electricity to the national grid—has faced mounting criticism. Detractors say the funds spent could have been used to significantly strengthen the country’s energy infrastructure.
According to Dr. Gajigo, between 2018 and 2024, the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) paid Karpowership more than $30 million annually for 30 megawatts of electricity. He estimated the total cost over the contract period at over $200 million, or roughly D12 billion, calling the financial structure “illogical and indefensible.”
“According to industry standards, building a 30 MW thermal power plant costs roughly $30 million, the same amount NAWEC paid Karpowership each year,” he said.
He argued that the cumulative payments over seven years could have financed the construction of a 200-megawatt power plant, enough to supply electricity to more than 300,000 households, a figure he said could have met the country’s needs based on recent census data. “Potentially covering the entire nation’s needs based on recent census data.”
He added, “The government essentially paid to build an entire power plant every single year.”
Dr. Gajigo also noted that the financial burden of the contract extended well beyond the energy sector. According to him, the annual Karpowership payments were greater than the government’s 2026 budget allocations for agriculture and even surpassed combined spending on the education and health sectors.
He argued that with strategic investment, The Gambia could have achieved energy self-sufficiency and potentially exported surplus electricity to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, while simultaneously improving its balance of payments.