By Makutu Manneh
The National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) is set to launch a mobile application by mid-April that will allow Gambians to pay their water and electricity bills, submit complaints, and request new meters, the company’s managing director said.
In an interview with QTV, MD Saidy described the upcoming app as a “game changer” for revenue collection and customer service.
“Hopefully by mid-April the app will be out and can start to be used and help us improve our revenue collection,” he said, urging patience from the public during the rollout. “When one is in a transitioning period, everything cannot be achieved 100% at once—that is impossible.”
Saidy also appealed to Gambians to support the utility’s ongoing projects and safeguard public infrastructure. “We are Gambians too; we need your support. You should be the custodians of our assets. We have a lot of vandalism in our system. People need to look at the infrastructure for NAWEC because they belong to all of us. If we do well, we all do well,” he said.
On NAWEC’s past partnership with the Turkish power company Karpower, Saidy said high electricity costs prompted the decision to end the contract. “If it were at a market price that was reasonable, we wouldn’t have been talking about their contract coming to an end. But the price Karpower was selling electricity to us was very high, and it was prudent and the right decision to move on,” he said.
Saidy emphasized that domestic electricity demand is rising rapidly, both in new communities and the Greater Banjul Area. He outlined plans to expand local power generation, including a tender for a 50-megawatt solar power plant in Soma, with an additional 100-megawatt project planned thereafter.
“So the strategy is also to expand generation inside the country, and currently there is a tender for a 50-megawatt solar power plant for Soma, which is ongoing, and after that there will be 100 megawatts,” he said, adding that the company’s long-term goal is to become a net electricity exporter.
NAWEC is also upgrading its distribution network. The company has replaced transformers and low-voltage lines across more than 100 kilometers in areas including Sukuta-Jabang, Bundung, Welligara, Salaji, and Mariama Kunda. Saidy said the improvements are already having a positive impact, but acknowledged ongoing challenges.
“We replaced a lot of transformers and low-voltage lines in these areas. So it is an ongoing process, and we are seeing the positive impact from those communities.”
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