President Adama Barrow has pledged that by the end of 2025, 90% of Gambians will have access to electricity, marking a significant milestone in the country’s energy and development agenda.
Delivering his annual State of the Nation Address at the National Assembly on Thursday, President Barrow outlined a series of transformative energy projects, including landmark investments in renewable power generation and electrification initiatives.
“In 2024, we commissioned the first-ever utility-scale solar park in Jambur, with a capacity of 23 megawatts,” the President noted.
“Additionally, a tender process is currently underway for a 50-megawatt solar plant in Jarra Soma, scalable up to 150 megawatts of renewable energy.”
To complement infrastructure development, the government also launched a sweeping subsidy programme that significantly reduced the cost of electricity meters.
“We cut the price of meters from D8,500 to just D500 in areas covered by the project,” President Barrow said.
“This enabled 72,000 new household connections by December.”
The President also confirmed a major institutional reform: the unbundling of the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) into two separate entities.
“This strategic split aims to enhance accountability and operational efficiency while improving service delivery in both water and power sectors,” he told lawmakers.
Barrow stressed that the energy sector remains pivotal to The Gambia’s national development priorities. “It underpins economic growth, industrialisation, and social progress,” he said.
Beyond energy, the President provided an update on the Trans-Gambia Corridor Special Economic Zone, part of the larger Praia-Dakar-Abidjan-Lagos Multi-modal Corridor.
Developed in partnership with the African Development Bank and ECOWAS, the initiative seeks to boost industrial capacity and trade connectivity.
He also confirmed that key legal frameworks, including the GIEPA Act 2015 and the National Industrial Policy, are being revised to attract investment, promote value-added production, and expand employment opportunities for Gambians.
With bold investments and institutional reforms, Barrow’s government appears determined to position The Gambia as a regional leader in clean energy and industrial modernisation.
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