Gambian leader vows power boost after violent blackout protests

Gambian President Adama Barrow on Tuesday pledged to boost power supplies by next month after violent protests over blackouts that have dogged the west African country since June.

The rolling power outages, which are occurring during the country's hot season, have lasted up to 48 hours in some areas.

Demonstrators in Banjul, and other nearby cities protested overnight Monday to Tuesday, setting fires and blocking traffic while chanting "Barrow must go!"

In the Westfield district on the outskirts of the capital, police used tear gas as crowds headed towards the headquarters of The Gambia's energy provider, the National Water and Electricity Corporation (NAWEC).

Barrow called the outages "a national security issue" and "an emergency" Tuesday, while declaring that it was "time for action", as he visited the NAWEC power station in the city of Brikama, near the capital.

In an address on Tuesday evening, he said: "I know that the fans have stopped turning, children work in the dark, mothers throw away stale food, and the heat is unbearable by day and by night.

"The government is in the final stage of installing an additional 24-megawatt generation machine... This will be commissioned by the end of October 2026. For a system of our size, this is considerable power, enough to make a big difference in your homes," he said.

"The contract for a 50-megawatt solar power plant in Soma has also been awarded, and the contracted company is now mobilising the necessary resources to begin work soon," he said.

"We commit that the electricity supply situation in the country will improve by the end of October".

The demonstrations mark a sharp escalation from earlier power protests and come just months before December elections, in which Barrow is running for a third term.

NAWEC in mid-August said the blackouts were due to surges in demand, mainly because of high temperatures, combined with "constraints on electricity imports".

On Tuesday, Gallo Saidy, NAWEC managing director, said the problems were due in part to climate change and war in the Middle East, while appealing to Gambians for patience.

He cancelled his attendance at a road inauguration Tuesday to visit the NAWEC facility at Brikama and also Kotu, two of the areas hardest hit by both outages and protests.

Information Minister Ismaila Ceesay said in a statement that The Gambia was "treating the situation with the seriousness and utmost urgency it deserves, and we want to assure every Gambian that we are working relentlessly".