The Member for Banjul Central, Hon. Abdoulie Njai, has said that electricity is not a luxury, but essential for dignity and quality of life.
He made this statement on Wednesday, 9th September 2026, while delivering his remarks on Matters of the Day at the National Assembly, addressing the current electricity crisis.
“Electricity is not a luxury. It is essential to healthcare, education, food preservation, businesses, jobs, productivity, and economic growth. It is increasingly essential to the dignity and quality of life of every Gambian,” he conveyed.
He explained that since 1977, from GUC to NAWEC, “we have witnessed reforms, restructuring, investments, and successive interventions aimed at resolving our electricity challenge.”
Successive governments, he said, have made efforts. Resources have been committed. Plans have been developed.
“Yet, after nearly five decades, the crisis remains with us. The question before us is therefore not whether we have tried. We clearly have,” he said.
He raised questions as to why, after almost fifty years of interventions, “we have still not been able to deliver a reliable and sustainable electricity system for the Gambian people.”
He stated that thousands of citizens have taken to the streets in protest, and in some communities, “blackouts have reportedly lasted up to 30 hours, while NAWEC itself has acknowledged a deficit in power supply.”
He lamented, “The situation is serious, and our people’s frustration is understandable.”
He added that they rise today not in the spirit of confrontation, but in the spirit of constructive engagement, with the shared objective of finding a lasting solution to a challenge that affects every Gambian.
He acknowledged the efforts being made by His Excellency President Adama Barrow, including his visits to NAWEC facilities, the setting up of a presidential taskforce, his address to the nation, and his call for urgent action.
He expressed encouragement at the supplementary standby arrangements that have been put in place.
While recognizing these as welcome steps, he challenged that “they must be the beginning of a solution, not simply another temporary response to a problem that has persisted for decades.”
He indicated that behind every statistic is a human being, and behind every hour of darkness is a family struggling to cope.
“Food is spoiling, children are unable to study properly, patients and vulnerable people face hardship, while small businesses are losing income and livelihoods are being disrupted,” he stressed.
He suggested considering citizens and skilled workers such as the food vendor, the welder, the tailor, the barber, the cold-store operator, and the restaurant owner.
“For many Gambians, electricity is not simply about switching on a light. It is about food, education, healthcare, jobs, income, productivity, and dignity,” he said.
Hon. Njai tasked, “We must therefore be honest with ourselves that piecemeal solutions will not be enough.”
This, he said, must include strengthening generation capacity, modernizing and expanding transmission and distribution networks, reducing technical and commercial losses, improving operational efficiency, strengthening financial sustainability, and ensuring that NAWEC has the systems, resources, leadership, and accountability required to deliver.
He averred, “It must also include a serious review of NAWEC’s human-resource structure. We need the right people, with the right skills, in the right positions. Where there is persistent inefficiency, duplication, or underperformance, we must be prepared to rationalize the workforce and, where necessary, lay off personnel in accordance with the law and due process.”
He said that there is also a need for a long-term national electricity strategy that looks ten, twenty, and thirty years ahead.
“Electricity demand will continue to grow as our population and economy grow. We must therefore invest, reform our institutions, strengthen management and accountability, explore public-private partnerships where appropriate, and fully utilize our renewable energy potential, particularly solar,” he said.
This crisis, he said, has touched virtually every household in the country.
As representatives of the people, he stated that they add their voices not in condemnation, but in solidarity with the Gambian people.
“We hear their frustration in our communities, our homes, and from the people we represent. But we must also speak honestly about our shared responsibility to preserve peace and protect public property,” he said.
He disclosed that they are concerned by reports of vandalism and disruption of public order in places such as Latrikunda Sabiji, Farato, and other areas.
He argued, “Destruction will not produce electricity. Violence has never brought a lasting solution to any problem. Vandalizing public infrastructure will only make an already difficult situation worse, and ultimately, the cost will be borne by the very people we seek to protect.”
He therefore appealed to all Gambians to exercise restraint.
“Your frustration is legitimate. Your demand for electricity is legitimate. Your demand for accountability is legitimate,” said the Banjul Central lawmaker.
He contrasted that frustration must never become an excuse for lawlessness, destruction, or violence.
He urged citizens to protest peacefully, demand accountability peacefully, and hold government to account through the institutions of democracy.
He challenged the government, in turn, to listen to the people and respond with the urgency this crisis demands.
“I rise today to speak on the electricity crisis that has driven our people to the streets in anguish, frustration, and desperation,” he said.
In their interventions, lawmakers said that the crisis affects citizens, who all share the pain, but urged citizens to use peaceful channels in lieu of destructive protest.
They called on the citizenry to share views, with a view to obtaining holistic solutions to the menace.
The lawmakers called for immediate, short-term, and long-term plans to provide a lasting remedy to the status quo.
