The Government of The Gambia has issued a statement addressing ongoing electricity supply challenges in parts of the country, assuring citizens that the situation is temporary and technical in nature, not financial.
According to the release, the current load-shedding is concentrated in sections of the Greater Banjul Area and the West Coast Region, particularly during peak demand hours from 6:00 PM onwards. Provincial regions remain largely unaffected. The government acknowledged that the outages may also impact water supply in some areas, as production and distribution systems depend on stable electricity.
Officials rejected claims that the disruptions are linked to unpaid debts. “It is equally important to clarify that the situation is not primarily due to unpaid debts, as has been inaccurately suggested in some public discussions,” the statement said. Instead, the challenges stem from technical difficulties within the regional power supply network, which are also affecting neighboring countries.
The government noted that broader geopolitical developments and fuel supply disruptions have worsened the situation, leading to temporary operational limitations in some generation plants. “These are exceptional and temporary circumstances, not a collapse of the national electricity system,” the release emphasized.
Contrary to speculation, national electricity generation has not ceased. The National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) continues to operate and rehabilitate its generators, with progress underway to bring additional units online. Officials said the goal is to achieve nearly 50 megawatts of internal generation capacity in the near term.
The statement also highlighted the OMVG regional interconnection project, designed to provide member states with affordable electricity imports while strengthening local generation capacity. Officials acknowledged that interconnected systems could spread disturbances across borders but reaffirmed their commitment to long-term energy security.
Looking ahead, the government confirmed that contracting processes are in their final stages for a major 50MW solar energy project in Soma, alongside other generation and transmission initiatives aimed at reducing reliance on imports.
