Gambia’s President Adama Barrow has been leading the inauguration of electrification infrastructures under an Ecowas regional power access project covering several other member countries.
The inaugurations began in the village of Njongon, in Gambia’s North Bank Region and is set to continue to 15th February four other locations within the country.
The inaugurations are being held under the auspices of Gambia’s petroleum, energy and mines ministry in collaboration with the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC).
The project is part of the implementation of ECOWAS Regional Electricity Access Project (ECOWAS-REAP) which President Barrow described as an unprecedented achievement in his country.
He said through donor interventions, the project is poised to provide relief to Gambians and directly transform the daily lives of rural families.
He also revealed that thanks to the ECOWAS-REAP scheme, Gambia’s electrification access rate has increased from 73% to 90%, marking a transformative moment in the nation’s development trajectory.
It covers 292 Gambian communities and will enable 52,000 new households to connect to the national grid.
The ECOWAS-REAP covering The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Mali, is financed by the World Bank and coordinated at regional level by the ECOWAS Directorate of Energy and Mines through a Regional Coordination Unit (RCU) in close coordination with National Project Implementation Unit (PIU) in each country.
It forms part of ECOWAS’s broader strategy to expand electricity access, deepen regional energy integration and support sustainable and inclusive development across West Africa.
The total investment from the World Bank amounts to US$225 million of which $66 million is dedicated to the Gambia’s electricity access projects.
WN/as/APA