By Assan Bah
The National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) declared on Wednesday that it is now equipped to independently meet The Gambia’s electricity demand, following the conclusion of its seven-year partnership with Turkish energy provider Karpowership.
At a press conference held in Banjul, NAWEC’s Managing Director, Gallo Saidy, framed the decision not to renew the contract as part of a broader strategy to shift toward self-reliance and more affordable energy sources. “We can only have true energy security by generating power from our own system,” Mr. Saidy said. “With the government’s support and the trust of the Gambian people, we are more stable than yesterday.”
Mr. Saidy noted that the termination of the deal aligns with NAWEC’s long-term energy transition strategy, bolstered by key infrastructure investments such as new generation plants and regional interconnection via the Organisation for the Development of the Gambia River Basin (OMVG) network. “We now have the ability to supply the country without external power ships,” he said.
Karpowership, which had been supplying approximately 28 percent of the country’s electricity, began operations in The Gambia in 2018. Mr. Saidy emphasized that NAWEC’s recent acquisition of multiple generators — including units purchased in 2018 and 2020 — along with increased power from the OMVG grid and renewable energy projects, will more than offset the exit of the Turkish provider. “Karpower leaving today is not the end of the world. We are okay now,” he said.
While asserting confidence in NAWEC’s current capacity, Mr. Saidy acknowledged persistent challenges in the national grid, particularly at the distribution level. “Some transformers are overloaded due to high demand,” he said. “There is a plan in place to replace all the overloaded systems and upgrade the network.”
The company is also looking to diversify its energy mix and expand cross-border electricity trade. “We are now drawing power from Conakry and Senegal, and soon from Abidjan. Our solar plant in Jambur is also online,” Mr. Saidy said, adding that NAWEC aims to become a net power exporter in the long term. “We’ll buy from whoever offers the cheapest rate.”
Despite recent localized power fluctuations, Mr. Saidy insisted that there has been no national blackout since Friday. “The variations we are experiencing now are normal — nothing unusual,” he said.
Pateh Sowe, NAWEC’s Chief Operating Officer, echoed the managing director’s optimism. He said the country’s transmission capacity has improved significantly, though he acknowledged weaknesses remain in the distribution system. “The system is 50 percent more reliable than before,” Mr. Sowe said. “The 225MW OMVG line currently covers only 18 kilometers, but it’s just the beginning. We are steadily addressing distribution issues.”
Mr. Sowe cautioned that power supply remains a dynamic challenge even in developed countries, referencing recent outages in Spain and Portugal. “These things happen — and they can happen anywhere, even here,” he said.
NAWEC’s leadership stressed that their shift from dependence on emergency power ships to regional partnerships and local generation marks a pivotal moment in The Gambia’s energy journey.
