KEY POINTS
- President Barrow promised Gambians stable, uninterrupted electricity supply within two to three years.
- Barrow accused opposition leader Darboe of staging a misleading video about the electricity crisis.
- Gambians Against Looted Assets gave NAWEC a 10-day ultimatum to restore reliable power on June 19.
President Adama Barrow stood before thousands of supporters at a National People’s Party mega rally Saturday and made a promise that his critics say he has made before.
Stable, uninterrupted electricity. Within two to three years.
“The electricity available during my tenure has never happened before in The Gambia since independence,” Barrow told the crowd in Brikama. “The work we have done in the electricity sector has not been done by any previous government.”
The president said the recent wave of power outages was caused by technical challenges. He said those challenges have now been resolved. He did not provide specifics.
Barrow blames opposition for spreading alarm
Barrow used the rally to attack opposition leader Ousainu Darboe of the United Democratic Party. He accused Darboe and his allies of circulating a video designed to show The Gambia in complete darkness. The president called the footage staged and misleading.
He challenged Darboe to also show Gambians footage of electricity working normally. “People only come out to talk when there is a problem,” Barrow said. “None of them love The Gambia more than me.”
He also credited divine guidance for his administration’s achievements. “Allah has blessed my leadership,” he said, adding that he had fulfilled many promises made to Gambians.
December election looms over Brikama rally
The rally carried unmistakable electoral weight. Barrow pointed to the large crowd as proof of the NPP’s strength ahead of the December 5 presidential vote. He expressed confidence that the ruling party and its allies would win.
The electricity crisis has handed opposition politicians a sharp campaign weapon. Civil society group Gambians Against Looted Assets gave the National Water and Electricity Company a 10-day ultimatum on June 19 to restore reliable power. The group said years of investment had produced no lasting improvement. NAWEC blamed the outages on maintenance challenges, delayed spare parts and rising fuel costs.
The country’s peak electricity demand has nearly tripled over the past decade. The Gambia now imports power from Senegal and Guinea to bridge supply gaps.
Barrow’s two-to-three-year timeline extends beyond December. Whether voters believe the promise may shape whether he gets the chance to keep it.
