UNITE Statement: President Barrow’s Tour of NAWEC Exposes Leadership Failure No domestic solution after nearly 10 Years
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
As President Adama Barrow stages a public relations tour of NAWEC facilities, Gambians continue to endure prolonged power cuts that are crippling livelihoods, destroying businesses, and seriously undermining the nation’s socio-economic development.
UNITE unequivocally states that today’s tour exposes the absence of any sustainable domestic strategy after nearly a decade in power. This is very alarming.
During the inspection, President Barrow made several admissions that underscore the depth of the crisis:
He acknowledged contacting Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye this morning to request emergency assistance and confirmed that an emergency meeting is being convened in Senegal today to address The Gambia’s electricity crisis. He also stated that he contacted Guinea Conakry for assistance.
But after nearly a decade in office, WHY is The Gambia still dependent on foreign intervention for a problem that requires domestic solutions? WHY is there no local plan for local challenges after already spending billions?
The reliance on foreign assistance, while domestic generation stagnates, raises fundamental questions about the government’s commitment to long-term energy independence.
The Senegal and Guinea Conakry solution Barrow proudly announced today is actually an embarrassment. The irony is that Gambia owes a cumulative amount of nearly US$60 million (over D4 billion Dalasi) to Senegal’s national electricity company, Senelec and Guinea’s national electricity company, EDG.
Both Senelec and EDG have scaled down electricity supply to The Gambia because of these unpaid bills.
This means we are receiving less electricity from our neighbours because GAMBIA CANNOT PAY ITS BILLS!
This is a direct consequence of the blackouts Gambians are currently facing.
Another fact to consider is that those countries also have their own problems and cannot rescue Gambia. This is business, not charity!
The whole situation confirms that the problem we face is a result of failed leadership, financial mismanagement and a lack of national strategy. Almost a decade of quick-fix responses and wasteful contracts have yielded no sustainable plan, only neighbour bailouts and temporary fixes.
To seek assistance from the very country to which The Gambia is indebted is an admission of failure, not a demonstration of leadership.
President Barrow should stop messing with Gambians’ livelihoods. Quick fixes are not governance. Governance is planning. Governance is accountability. Governance is delivering lasting solutions, not temporary relief to calm the population down.
Barrow also announced that three new generators are expected to arrive by the end of this week and pledged to restore 24-hour electricity supply by the end of October. However, Gambians have heard similar promises repeatedly since 2017.
People have now lost patience.
Last night’s demonstrations are a clear signal of that.
The following verified facts, documented by official audit reports and parliamentary inquiries, expose the scale of the electricity crisis the Barriw government is not talking about:
· Auditors identified D236 million in revenue discrepancies at NAWEC in 2020.
· The Public Enterprises Committee (PEC) of the National Assembly found D2.7 million in unlawful allowances paid to senior NAWEC officials, including current Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Nani Juwara, who received D540,000 and has been ordered to repay it. (Scandalous!!)
· Over US$200 million was expended on the Karpowership contract for just 30MW of power—a sum sufficient to construct a 200MW generation plant.
· NAWEC’s debt to Senegal’s Senelec exceeds D1 billion. President Barrow himself acknowledged this debt is hampering power delivery, yet he recently claimed The Gambia has “enough energy capacity” and is selling electricity to Senegal.
· Domestic generation capacity remains below 30MW—lower than under previous administrations.
· NAWEC’s accumulated losses stand at D6.4 billion.
· The 2025 national budget allocated D1.5 billion solely to service Karpowership arrears.
Barrow MUST make mention of these facts during his address to the nation tonight!
UNITE DEMANDS THE FOLLOWING:
1. Immediate publication of NAWEC’s fuel procurement audit.
2. Full accountability for all financial mismanagement identified in audit reports.
3. A transparent, hourly electricity up time schedule for all regions.
4. Resignation or removal of all officials implicated in the unlawful payment of allowances.
5. An independent forensic audit of all NAWEC expenditures since 2017.
6. A clear, sustainable roadmap for domestic energy generation, reducing reliance on foreign assistance.
