Editorial

It could be recalled that during the 2008 Dialogue with the People Tour in Brikama, President Jammeh promised to electrify the Western Region of the country from Kartong to Kalaji by 2011.

Today, that pledge is being fulfilled with the recent signing of a US$10 million contract signed between the government of The Gambia  through the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) and the Global Trading Group to electrify some 44 towns and villages in the Region. This development is coming at the right time considering the huge importance attached to electricty, and given the fact that we are fast approaching the year 2020. Even the younger generation is aware that before 1994, load shedding was the order of the day in the country, with the electricity supplied far below standard home consumption; that was in spite of the constant switching of ownership of the country’s only major utilities provider.

The electrification of the country began with the doing away of load shedding in the Greater Banjul Area, as the capacity of the electricity supplied was greatly improved. The president’s declaration that his intention is to electrify the whole country was further manifested through the launching of the first phase of the rural electrification project with the installation of six power stations supported by 11kv transmission systems to form the basis for developing a national grid built across provincial towns notably Barra, Kerewan, Farafenni, Kaur, Bansang and Basse; and supplying electricity to some 46 towns and villages in provincial Gambia.

A major objective of the project is to encourage economic growth in the country by providing continuous power supply thereby contributing to the reduction of poverty.  The rural electrification project has been a great success. We have seen the enhancement of  the economic opportunities of the populace in these areas and improvements in their social wellbeing. There has been a reduction in poverty, while rural-urban drift has greatly reduced.

The significance of the electricity project for the Western Region, an economically vibrant area of the country, cannot be over-emphasised. The availability of cheap and affordable electricty in the region will enhance commerce in the coastal areas, increase their efficiency in the tourism industry, and maximise their contribution to the economy.

With electricity, the women in the villages who are engaged in horticulture will be able to preserve their produce whenever they are able to acquire cold stores to avoid the problem of perishing goods. Windows of opportunities can also be opened for the youths particularly those who have acquired skills. They will be able to set up self-employment schemes like metal, carpentary and tailoring workshops among others.

It is also interesting to note that when this new project is completed, statiscally it means some 90 towns and villages in rural Gambia will be having access to electricity. This indicates that in few years to come, even the most remote village in this country will get electrified, with the people able to initiate their own development schemes or projects powered by electricity.