By: Kebba AF Touray
The delegation of ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA), on Friday 11th November 2022, visited State House for a courtesy call on Gambian President, Adama Barrow. The event was part of marking ERERA’s 7th Forum held in Banjul from the 7th to the 10th of November 2022.
The delegation comprised Gambian Minister for Petroleum and Energy Abdoulie Jobe; the Minister for Energy of Guinea-Bissau Augusto Paquena; the Chairperson of ERERA Koccou Tossou; the Director-General of PURA Yusupha M. Jobe; ERERA’s legal expert Oumar Bangoura and the Director of Petroleum, Water and Energy of PURA Momodou Lamin Sompo Ceesay.
The visit accorded the delegation the opportunity to brief the president about some of the landmark developments registered in the region, and the close-door meeting highlighted key resolutions made at the just concluded Banjul Forum with a view to ensuring a well-regulated, stable and reliable electricity supply within the region.
Talking to the press shortly after their close-door meeting, the Minister for Energy of Guinea -Bissau Paquena Augusto, thanked The Gambia Government and people for hosting the 7th ERERA Forum in what many describe as “the most successful and well attended forum.” He also expressed delight over the experiences shared and network building among the regional electricity regulators, operators and financiers.
Mr Augusto enjoined member States to harness the knowledge and experiences shared for improved co-operation and partnerships to deal with the electricity challenges in the ECOWAS region.
ERERA Chairperson Koccou Tossou, said the ECOWAS specialised electricity body intends to launch the second phase of the regional electricity market, and to cover supply connections from Nigeria to The Gambia. He thanked PURA and the Government of The Gambia for the level of commitment and hospitality accorded them throughout their stay in the Gambia.
Gambia’s Minister for Petroleum and Energy Abdoulie Jobe, told the press that President Adama Barrow is quite pleased with the Gambia hosting the 7th ERERA Forum in unifying and strengthening the already existing cordial partnership and cooperation among ECOWAS member States. He said the president believes electricity should be available, affordable and reliable for public consumption, and expressed optimism that such regional convergence will go a long way towards addressing energy insecurity in the sub-region.
The Director-General of PURA Yusupha M. Jobe, said the just concluded regional forum was a huge success which focused on knowledge sharing and partnership building, and thanked all players, especially the Government of The Gambia for the support and representation at the forum.
As the next ERERA forum was announced to be hosted by Niger, the forum delegates commended the Gambia for a successful and well-organised regional gathering, and called for strengthening the long-standing bond already established among regulators in the region.
