By: Momodou S Gagigo
The Gambia on Friday signed a $11.9 million contract with China’s TBEA Company Limited to upgrade electricity networks and extend connections to more than 40 communities in the Greater Banjul Area, officials reveal.
The agreement, signed at Petroleum House in Bijilo, covers the China Aid Gambia Electricity Enhancement Project. Authorities say the 18-month works will rehabilitate medium- and low-voltage lines, install transformers and other equipment, and add new household and commercial connections expected to reach more than 80,000 residents.
The deal comes as public anger over unreliable power supply has grown, with protests in recent months over frequent outages. Officials argue that strengthening the grid in the country’s most densely populated corridor could ease pressure on the national system, improve service in the West Coast region, and support households, schools, clinics and businesses.
NAWEC Managing Director Gallo Saidy said the project was an important step toward tackling long-standing weaknesses in the electricity sector.
“For our people, the real measure of this investment will be more reliable electricity, fewer outages, improved service delivery, and greater access for households and businesses,” Saidy said. He added that better supply would support economic activity, education, healthcare and community well-being.
Outgoing Chinese Ambassador Liu Jin called the contract another result of China–Gambia cooperation after years of talks between the two governments and their technical teams.
“Electricity is an important part of our cooperation and is also one of the priorities of our cooperation,” Liu said. He said Beijing understood The Gambia’s urgent need to reinforce power infrastructure and expressed confidence that TBEA would meet high delivery standards. He also urged the contractor to support technical exchanges and vocational training so Gambians can take a larger role in construction, operations and maintenance.
Petroleum, Energy and Mines Minister Nani Juwara said the project reflected the government’s pledge to achieve universal access to reliable and affordable electricity.
“Access to reliable and affordable electricity supply nationwide is no longer a privilege but a human right, and therefore we will not relent in our efforts until we achieve universal access to electricity country-wide,” Juwara said.
He said the works would connect thousands of homes, businesses, schools and health facilities. He called on NAWEC, TBEA, local authorities and beneficiary communities to coordinate closely so that implementation stays on schedule and meets quality standards. The minister also pressed for jobs for people in project areas and for strict safety and environmental safeguards during construction.
Officials described the signing as a new phase of energy cooperation between Banjul and Beijing.
They say the Greater Banjul upgrades would not solve every national supply problem, but they argued that a stronger urban and peri-urban network is essential if The Gambia is to reduce outages and extend electricity to communities still waiting for connections.
If delivered on time, the project is expected to leave NAWEC with rehabilitated distribution assets, additional transformers and a larger customer base in the capital region—an outcome the government says will be judged less by the signing ceremony than by whether lights stay on.
