Hot and dark: Gambians are in their right to complain

The past two weeks have been very difficult for a lot of Gambians living in the Kombos. In what is a major disruption to power supplies, some areas go for a whole half of a day without electricity. These are a direct tax on growth, health, education, and dignity.

On Saturday, the National Water and Electricity Company (Nawec) gave an update on national power supply situation explaining that electricity imports have been reduced by up to 60 megawatts “due to technical issues and fuel shortages” affecting generation facilities within the regional network.

They said the situation is compounded by the domestic backup generation not being fully available due to “on-going maintenance activities and operational constraints” and consequently, a significant shortfall exceeding 50% of electricity demand.

Because of this, Nawec said it has implemented emergency load management measures to distribute the limited available power as equitably as possible, while prioritising supply to critical services, particularly hospitals and water production and distribution facilities. The utility said it expects a gradual return to normal electricity supply by mid-June 2026, “subject to the timely restoration of regional imports and completion of on-going maintenance works.” There’s no fall back option, the Karpower ship, has sailed away. Now we must endure what we have to endure.

The Gambia’s main utility, the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC), has struggled for years with load shedding and system failures. Yet the cost of those failures is rarely captured in budget lines. When the power goes out, the cost shifts to citizens and businesses.

For households, this means spoiled food, missed study hours, and the purchase of expensive fuel for generators or solar batteries. For businesses, it means lost sales, damaged equipment, and reduced productivity. The World Bank estimates that unreliable electricity can cut firm productivity by up to 40% in sub-Saharan Africa. In a country where small and medium enterprises employ the majority of youths, this is a silent jobs crisis. No investor will commit millions to a factory that cannot trust the grid. No tech startup can compete regionally if it must budget for 12 hours of generator time per day.

In short, every hour without power is an hour The Gambia falls behind Senegal, Ghana, and Rwanda—countries that treated electricity as a foundation for growth. Reliable electricity is not about brighter streets. It is about life and death. At Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital and clinics in the provinces, surgeons operate, babies are delivered, and medicines are stored under cold-chain conditions. When Nawec cuts power and backup generators fail, the consequences are immediate and irreversible. Vaccines lose potency. Oxygen concentrators stop. Maternal mortality risks rise.

The same applies in homes. Students trying to study for WASSCE under kerosene lamps face health risks and poor results. Elders who need refrigerated insulin or fans during these early summer heat are left vulnerable. A government that cannot guarantee power cannot guarantee basic dignity for its citizens.

Some will argue that health, roads, or agriculture should come first. The truth is that electricity enables all of them. Modern irrigation pumps need power. Cold storage for farmers’ produce needs power. Water treatment plants need power. Tourism hotels market “uninterrupted service” as a core selling point.

Countries that escaped poverty did one thing early: they electrified. Singapore in the 1960s. Mauritius in the 1980s. Rwanda in the 2010s. Each treated power as a prerequisite, not a reward for growth. The Gambia’s current energy mix is dominated by expensive, imported diesel. That makes Nawec financially unsustainable and electricity unaffordable. Breaking that cycle requires political will and prioritisation at the highest level.

The government must act on three fronts.

Firstly, Nawec needs governance reform, reduced technical losses, and better bill collection. Corruption and mismanagement have bled the company for years. Independent regulation and transparent contracts are non-negotiable. But reform takes time. Citizens cannot wait while Nawec is fixed.

Secondly, The Gambia is blessed with sun 300 days a year. Utility-scale solar, plus battery storage, can be deployed faster than new diesel plants. The Jambur and Soma solar projects are steps in the right direction, but scale must increase. Regional integration matters too. Connecting more firmly to the OMVG interconnection with Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, and Guinea allows The Gambia to import cheaper hydropower. Wind along the coast and waste-to-energy in urban centres should also be explored.

Thirdly, prioritisation means protecting critical loads: hospitals, schools, water plants, and industrial zones. It means rolling out prepaid meters to reduce losses and improve transparency. It means subsidies that target the poorest households, not blanket subsidies that bankrupt Nawec. And it means enforcing the law so that illegal connections do not drag the whole system down.

Governments are judged on what people feel daily: the price of rice, the safety of streets, and whether the lights stay on. Gambian leaders should take note. If young people see their future dimmed by blackouts, they will look elsewhere—either to the “backway” to Europe or to politicians who promise change. Prioritising electricity is therefore also about trust. It signals that the government understands the basics of daily life and is serious about delivering them.

Electricity should not be a sectoral issue for the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy alone. It is a national emergency that requires the president’s direct attention, cross-ministerial coordination, and serious engagement with private investors and development partners.