A civil society monitoring group has called on the Gambian government to immediately publish the full text of a recently announced electricity supply agreement, warning that the lack of public detail undermines accountability and leaves citizens in the dark about costs and commitments made in their name.
The Banjul based Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice (EFSCRJ) NAWEC Watch said it had noted the government’s press statement on an electricity supply agreement. While welcoming efforts to address the country’s longstanding electricity needs, the group insisted that transparency, accountability and due process must govern any such arrangement.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the group argued that the official announcement left critical questions unanswered. Citizens, it said, have a right to know how the government selected the supplier, what financial and operational commitments it made on their behalf, and how the deal will affect electricity costs and reliability.
The organization listed six specific areas of disclosure it said the government must address. First, it demanded clarity on the procurement process: when and how the tender was advertised, which companies submitted bids, and, if the contract was awarded without competitive tendering, the legal basis and justification for that decision.
Second, it sought the selection criteria used, the reasons the successful company was chosen, the identity of the second-ranked bidder, and a comparison of the offers. Third, the group called for the full terms of the signed agreement, including its duration, financial commitments, guarantees, and termination provisions.
On pricing, EFSCRJ NAWEC Watch asked how much will be paid per unit of electricity, in what currency, under what conditions the price may change, and what the implications will be for consumer tariffs. It also requested details of the company’s obligations—generation or supply capacity, delivery timelines, reliability standards, service commitments and penalties for non-performance—as well as the government’s own obligations, including any payment guarantees, tax exemptions, subsidies or other commitments that could expose NAWEC, taxpayers and consumers to financial risk.
“These questions require more than general assurances,” the statement said. “We demand publication of the signed agreement, the procurement records and the evaluation report so that citizens can scrutinize the deal.”
The group framed reliable and affordable electricity as a public necessity, arguing that agreements governing its provision must be open to public scrutiny. “Citizens deserve to know what has been agreed in their name, at what cost, and for whose benefit,” it declared, closing with the demand: “Publish the agreement. Disclose the costs. Account to the people.”
The intervention comes against a backdrop of chronic power shortages and high tariffs that have long burdened households and businesses in The Gambia. NAWEC, the state-owned National Water and Electricity Company, has repeatedly struggled with generation shortfalls, aging infrastructure and dependence on imported fuel, prompting successive governments to explore private-sector supply arrangements.
EFSCRJ NAWEC Watch has positioned itself as a watchdog focused on the utility’s operations and government dealings in the energy sector. Its latest call places the onus on authorities to move beyond headline announcements and subject the new agreement to the same level of public examination that citizens expect for other major public contracts.
No immediate government response to the demand was available at the time of publication. Observers say the episode will test the administration’s stated commitment to transparency in major infrastructure and service agreements.
