KEY POINTS
- Gambia’s GDC opposition party has declared the country’s power outages a full national emergency.
- Millions of dalasis are lost daily as businesses, hospitals and households suffer prolonged blackouts.
- GDC is demanding a full account from NAWEC and a comprehensive roadmap to fix the energy crisis.
Gambia’s electricity crisis has moved past the point where apologies and appeals for patience are enough. The country’s main opposition party wants answers, and it wants them now.
The Gambia Democratic Congress issued a formal statement on Sunday declaring the country’s prolonged and widespread power outages a national emergency. The GDC said the situation has gone well beyond inconvenience and is now inflicting serious damage on households, businesses, healthcare services and communication systems across the country.
The party was blunt about the economic consequences. Millions of dalasis are being lost every day as businesses struggle to absorb rising operational costs. Families are dipping into money they do not have to buy fuel, water and other basics. The tourism sector, one of the pillars of Gambia’s economy, is taking reputational damage that will not be easily undone.
What the GDC is demanding
The GDC is not calling for patience. It is calling for transparency. The party is demanding that the government and the National Water and Electricity Company provide a full and honest account of what caused the crisis, a clear picture of what is being done right now to restore stable supply, and a long-term plan to prevent a repeat.
The statement acknowledged that unexpected failures happen in utility management. But after weeks of outages and mounting public suffering, it said, Gambians are owed more than vague reassurances. They are owed a roadmap.
The cost of normalizing failure
The GDC made the broader case plainly. Reliable electricity is not a luxury. It is the foundation of economic growth, healthcare delivery, education, and job creation. No country can sustain development while its people are subjected to persistent power shortages.
The party described itself as standing with Gambians during the crisis and urged all stakeholders to place national interest above partisan considerations. It also called for prudent management of public resources as the government seeks to rebuild the energy sector.
The message from the GDC was direct. The suffering of Gambians must not be normalized. Solutions are needed now, not later.
