By Haddy Touray
National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) Managing Director Gallo Saidy has appealed to Gambians to exercise patience amid persistent power outages, attributing part of the worsening electricity shortage to reduced supplies from the regional power grid.
Mr. Saidy spoke Tuesday during President Adama Barrow’s visit to NAWEC power stations in Kotu and Brikama, a day after protests over prolonged electricity cuts in parts of the Greater Banjul Area and Banjul.
“We are aware of the frustration and constraints that the Gambian people have,” Mr. Saidy said. “We are just asking the Gambian people to give us a little bit of time and patience, and we will get there together.”
He acknowledged the difficulties facing consumers, saying NAWEC did not want people to become frustrated by the electricity situation.
“It is not our desire to see people getting frustrated. Nobody wants to fail,” he said.
Mr. Saidy said the electricity shortage was part of a broader regional challenge affecting neighbouring countries.
The Gambia relies on domestic generation as well as imported electricity, including supplies from Guinea and Senegal’s national electricity company, Senelec.
He said The Gambia received between 70 and 80 megawatts of electricity from Guinea last year, when heavy rainfall boosted water levels in the country’s hydroelectric dams.
Lower rainfall this year, however, has reduced the amount of electricity available through the regional grid, contributing to the current supply constraints, he said.
Mr. Saidy also cited the conflict in the Middle East as another factor affecting the energy sector, although he did not elaborate on its specific impact on The Gambia’s electricity supply.
He said NAWEC teams were working around the clock to install additional generators and increase available generation capacity.
The NAWEC chief also pointed to renewable energy projects planned across the country, while cautioning that such investments would take time to become operational.
“We are trying to be doers, to get it done, rather than to come here and tell you nice words,” he said. “We will make sure that this problem is resolved and we go back to normality.”
Mr. Saidy said the completion of ongoing projects would eventually contribute to greater stability in the country’s electricity supply.
He also appealed for calm amid growing public anger over the outages and warned against damaging NAWEC infrastructure.
Electricity facilities are public property, he said, stressing that their destruction would ultimately harm the same communities already affected by the power crisis.
About The Author
