Opposition PPP Presidential Candidate Saikou Sawo has issued a scathing critique of the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC), describing its latest announcement of prolonged power outages as “alarming” and indicative of deep-rooted systemic collapse in the country’s energy sector.
In a statement released on Saturday, Sawo warned that Gambians must brace for weeks of darkness, economic disruption, and hardship as outages are set to continue through mid-June. He argued that the situation goes far beyond a mere technical issue, calling it “an acknowledgment of a deeper systemic failure.”
“What have decades of investment actually achieved?” Sawo asked. “A serious nation cannot have its economy brought to a standstill by a single disruption. A serious nation does not remain without adequate backup generation capacity.”
The PPP candidate highlighted the heavy toll on ordinary citizens and businesses, noting that power cuts are forcing inventory spoilage, halted manufacturing, reduced work hours, and extra spending on generators and fuel. “Every outage means lost income, lost productivity, and lost opportunity,” he said. “Yet there is no discussion of compensation. No discussion of accountability. No discussion of who bears responsibility for the repeated failures.”
Sawo framed the electricity crisis as a broader indictment of governance, competence, and accountability in The Gambia. “This is no longer simply an electricity problem. It is a governance problem. It is a competence problem,” he declared. He warned that no country can industrialize, attract serious investment, or create sustainable jobs under such an unreliable power supply.
“Every blackout drives away opportunity and weakens confidence in our future,” Sawo added. “The cost of inaction is now greater than the cost of reform.”
He urged Gambians to reject continued excuses and instead demand transparency, accountability, and competent leadership capable of delivering a reliable energy system. “Gambians face a defining choice: continue accepting excuses and repeated failure, or demand… competent leadership,” he said.
Sawo concluded with a stark warning: “Nations do not fail because they lack resources. They fail because they tolerate failure for too long.”
The statement comes amid growing public frustration over persistent power outages that have plagued the country for years, severely impacting daily life and economic activity.
