As the Gambian population might have observed, the electricity supply in the country is not that stable but consumers are not complaining as much as they used to.
The improved electricity that the Gambian population is currently enjoying is largely thanks to Sir Dawda Jawara and his peers, who conceived and made the Organisation of the Gambia River Basin (OMVG) up and running. Before scientists and experts began talking about clean, renewable and scalable energy sources, the visionary leaders of our corner of the continent sat together and decided that the energy future of The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Senegal and Guinea Conakry largely depends on investments in hydro energy.
Fast forward to 2019, the OMVG sent Gambian Bai Sillah back to his home country to lead a transformational electricity project. Mr. Sillah and his team built power stations in Kanilai, Brikama and Soma. They also constructed electricity interconnection lines, opening the floodgates of electricity supply from Keleta, Sambagalou and Koribagoro dams.
Indeed, the OMVG deserves commendations for this leapfrog in ending the member countries’ energy poverty.
However, Gambia cannot afford to be complacent, despite this leapfrog due to many factors such as climate change.
Our electricity experts need no reminder that The Gambia needs an energy suite as it cannot rely on dams, which are susceptible to climate change.
