By Yero S. Bah
It is believed that the development of any nation or society largely depends on the availability of not only energy, but clean and green energy as environmental scientists have argued that the type of energy determines the kind of environment humans would live in.
The scientific community had for so long, advocated for green energy to avoid climate change and its potential environmental catastrophes, as it’s evident, every day, that most of the environmental and natural disasters that occur locally and globally are attributed to unclean energy solutions such as fossil fuels and diesel engines which emit hazardous greenhouse gases that are detrimental to the climate and the environment.
Such emissions lead to extremely unpredictable weather patterns such as extreme weather conditions, irregular rainfalls and uncontrollable sea rise water levels, thereby posing environmental threats to communities, worldwide.
The Country Manager of Africa Energy Solutions, Mr. Malick M. Jarju, is of the settled view that green energy is the future, and that countries should focus more on energy diversification to meet the much-needed demand of energy in The Gambia and beyond.
In an exclusive interview with Mansa Banko Online, on Saturday, 21st February, 2020, Mr. Jarju observed that populations have increased and new industries have sprung up in recent times.
“These developments only increase the demand for power, therefore, energy providers need to be on top of things,” the Country Manager argued.
According to Jarju, he left his previous employers due to the deplorable working conditions of staff – which is the case in most workplaces in the Gambia-to create new solutions for workers, inspire other young Gambians, but also add unique services such as “after sale services” responsive to the needs of their customers 24/7, as many of the businesses lack after sale services in the Gambia.
Jarju echoed that the clean sustainable energy is the future as it helps people to diversify their sources of energy, and at the same time is affordable, but also friendly to the environment.
“What I foresee in the future is green energy,” the Africa Energy Solutions chief in Banjul argued. The energy expert went on to disclose that his energy company is seriously conscious of the dangers associated with certain energy sources to the environment, and he claimed that they operate within “internationally recognized standards” in the provision of energy services to Gambian customers, reasoning also that, they have partners who have well-known energy brands such as “Airwell” of France.
The Africa Energy Solutions country boss indicated that they are absolutely aware of some of the environmental challenges these unclean energies pose to people and their environment. “We are cognizant of the environmental hazards these conventional and old fashion energy sources cause to people and environments,” Jarju intimated. He stated that, “When customers are healthy, they work to earn more, and in turn, they will do more business with us.”
Expounding on the issue of energy access by Gambians, Jarju opined that the modus operandi by the national energy company NAWEC “is not sustainable and it is outdated”, suggesting the energy body needs to do away with the old generators which are mostly not fuel efficient and also not environmentally friendly.
“They need to install new and modern clean energy generators and also try to diversify the energy sector by bringing in green energy solutions to minimize maintenance and fuel cost and other expenses in the future,” he recommended.
The Country Manager revealed that certain energy sources such as R2 had been banned in western nations but are still being imported into Africa and Gambia, in particular. He attributed that to the fact that, policies, rules and regulations are not effectively enforced and that African borders are so porous that any product could be imported into these countries.
The pro-clean energy official lamented that Africa has now become a dumping ground for developed nations, and “we are watching it taking place”. He reminded that most of these imported products such as cars, fridges and air-conditioning products are environmentally hazardous and could potentially expose citizens to unexplainable health conditions, noting that Gambians now develop unimaginable diseases that really stretch their already fragile health systems.
The Africa Energy Solutions official further said environmentally, severe weather conditions are observed in the Gambia due to climate change conditions as the country is highly prone to these climate change related challenges, citing poor rainfalls, flash floods, and rising sea levels in recent times, in the Gambia.
Jarju averred: “Our environment extremely depends on our means of energy generation because it has direct bearing on health and the entire development aspirations as a nation. Not every waste you should burn. Cars should be checked before allowed in, other electronic products, emissions levels should be seriously checked.” He also pointed to fuel importations, cautioning that some of the imported fuels are bad and over time, it could affect the health of the people. He urged that school children should be sensitized on the importance of environment as possible solutions.
As the Africa Energy Solutions’ top official in the country disclosed, they are trying to set up a business that competes globally, and not only for Africa. Hear him: “We encourage our customers to invest in clean energy like solar, biogas and wind turbines. But looking at the financial cost for such energies, customers usually prefer conventional diesel engines than renewable clean energies due to their financial limitations.” He said they have expanded to Mali, Guinea Bissau, Niger and Senegal.
“We clean dead oil as it is detrimental to the environment, could contaminate water table beneath with time. Green energy is about solar, wind turbines and bio-gas systems that are used to generate clean energy.
“Conventional energy such as diesel engines and other unfriendly means of generating power are main sources of greenhouse gases which threaten our environments and public and individual health,” catalogued Country Manager Jarju.
He also delved into the link between these sources of greenhouse gases and recent negative environmental hazards such as irregular rain patterns, deforestation, extreme temperatures, unpredictable weather conditions and rising sea levels, which are threatening lives and livelihoods across the world, but especially Africa, of which The Gambia is not spared.
The energy guru noted that for now, there is limited access to energy; however, he’s positive that with the coming of the West African Power Pool project, that they would get there. He posited the government of The Gambia should have the much-needed political will to educate citizens about clean and sustainable energies and the importance of diversifying the energy sources to meet national energy targets.
The environmental dangers pose by the Bakoteh dumpsite was also a concern to Country Manager Jarju, as he charged that such a site should not be entertained in such strategic locations where hospitals, schools and orphanages are housed.
The Africa Energy Solutions company was established in 2014 in the Gambia, and has since its inception, expanded its operations to other West African states such as Mali, Niger, Senegal and Guinea Bissau, respectively.
The company is into hybrid power, renewable and conventional energy provision. It’s also said to be well- positioned to building power stations and green energy solutions for various purposes.
Technical students from the Gambian and foreign tertiary institutions are also provided internships opportunities as they currently received interns from Spain and Senegal for a month practical training.
The company is in partnership with the Gambia Training Authority and other local and international NGOs in the running of such internships.
