By Bakary Touray Jr.
The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, Madam Rohey Bittaye Darboe, has disclosed that the Gambia Government has set target to connect one third of the rural population through off-grid solutions by 2030, which include mini-grid and stand-alone home system.
She made this disclosure on Tuesday, 15 October 2019, during the validation of the Regional Off-Grid Electrification Project (ROGEP) report of the off-grid Solar Market Assessment and Private Sector Facility Design Report 2019.
Madam Bittaye-Darboe outlined that ROGEP is helping 19 countries in West Africa and the Sahel, to accelerate the deployment of stand-alone solar PV Systems in off-grid areas, to increase electricity access, by stimulating both public and private sector investment in rural electrification.
She stated that energy has long played and continues to play a strategic role in the growth and functioning of the world’s economy. She added that access to electricity is a prerequisite for the establishment of new business and expansion of existing ones.
Noting that it provides platform for employment creation, social development and economic growth, the Energy Ministry’s Number 2 pointed out that, the availability of a reliable electricity supply that is efficient, affordable and environmentally friendly is one of the cornerstones of Gambia Government’s development aspirations for the energy sector.
Bittaye-Darboe told her audience that, in keeping with the global energy transition towards renewable energy system, the government through the Energy Ministry is committed to promoting the issue of off-grid solutions, including stand-alone home system, as a necessary vehicle to provide electricity access to those communities beyond the reach of the grid.
But she suggested that for this target to be met, there is the need for right market conditions, putting in place effective quality assurance framework and developing financial support and de-risking mechanisms for the private sector. She recalled that following stakeholder consultation engagement in 2017 on ROGEP, a market assessment on off-grid solar PV for the Gambia was conducted as part of their preparatory phase of ROGEP.
This, as indicated, is aimed at assessing the market for off-grid solar systems, and recommend the most realistic market based mechanisms and financial support that would lead to a scaling up of electricity access, using solar technologies driven by the private sector.
