The National Water and Electricity Company Ltd.(NAWEC) has renewed its commitment to achieving nationwide electrification by 2025, as the top brass of the country’s water and electricity giant’s came face-to-face with a section of legislators.
Appearing before the National Assembly Select Committee on Monitoring and Implementation of Government Projects, on Thursday, 22nd April 2021 at the National Assembly complex in Banjul, Managing Director Mr. Nani Juwara declared: “From now against 2023, we [NAWEC] will be covering a total of about 685 communities, which is a huge coverage in terms of our access program. What we targeted to do, from now against 2025, is to cover the entire country.”
According to him, the objective they had set for themselves “is to have universal coverage and that cannot be attained without the provision of electricity supply to the communities at quality and affordable levels, so that we are able to attract foreign investors, to come and invest in the country”.
Juwara also pointed to the four different major electricity access projects that they are currently implementing, namely The Gambia Electricity Restoration and Modernization Project (GERMP) that has an access component, covering communities in North Bank Region (NBR), Central River Region (CRR) and Upper River Region (URR)- North and South. He indicated under that project, they are expecting to cover a total of 273 communities in the said regions.
“The ECOWAS Regional Electricity Access Project [ECOREP] will be covering about 298 communities,” stated Juwara, adding the other project is The Gambia Electricity Access Project which is funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and is targeting to cover 114 communities.
“In total, we have about 685 communities to be covered under these three projects. The fourth project, which is going to be a continuation of the already existing electricity expansion projects, that covers some part of Kiang and Greater Banjul Area, will be continued with an additional access program,” he informed the legislative Select Committee. Juwara added, that project would also cover some electricity supply gaps within the Greater Banjul Area as well as some rural communities.
The NAWEC MD had earlier told the Committee members that 92 communities would be covered in West Coast Region (WCR); 185 in NBR; 64 communities in LRR; 179 communities in CRR; and 165 communities in URR.
As per the GERMP project, he said they had completed the tendering process and the evaluation of Lamin Koto and Diabugu stretch, and they (now) await the approval from World Bank (WB) to proceed with the contract signature. This component is to cover a total of 46 communities in the area, in a bid to close the electricity gaps therein, the lawmakers were told. He pointed out that under the second component of GERMP, they would cover close to 227 communities in both the NBR and URR North and South, respectively.
Furthermore, Juwara disclosed, they are also considering having an additional expansion of the African Development Bank supported project, with the objective of covering more project in CRR, as he unveiled that works are in progress to be able to finalize the list. He also said that the contracts for these works would be signed this year, and the implementation for some of them “will commence this year”.
The Chairperson of the Monitoring Committee, Hon. Sulayman Saho, NAM for Central Baddibu–in the North Bank Region–stressed to the NAWEC top officials that, rural electrification is close to the hearts of the citizens, and as such, they are concerned with the level of implementation of the project.
This necessitated the Select Committee to engage NAWEC, to provide updates as to how far they have gone with the implementation of the project, added Hon. Saho.
The information Mansa Banko Online obtained from NAWEC website indicated, inter alia that: ‘National Water And Electricity Co.Ltd (NAWEC) was established in June 1996 under the Companies Act of 1955 as a Public Limited liability Company.
‘NAWEC is engaged in the generation and provision of electricity, water and sewerage services for domestic, public and industrial purposes. NAWEC succeeded the Gambia Utilities Corporation (GUC), which was established by an act of parliament in 1972 and the Utilities Holding Corporation (UHC), which was established by Presidential Executive Order in 1992.’
NAWEC is mandated to ensure the safe, efficient and effective and environmentally friendly provision of affordable nationwide electricity, water and sewerage services to satisfy customer requirements, achieve a financially sound position and contribute to the socioeconomic development of The Gambia, the company stated.
