By: Ousman Jammeh
The University of the Gambia REPGam project is set to mitigate the devastating impacts of climate change in The Gambia.
Renewable Energy Potentials in the country fondly known as the REPGam project is being implemented by the University of The Gambia, WASCAL, under the coordination of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science, and Technology with funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
The Professor Sidat Yaffa led project also seeks to provide free, clean, affordable, and reliable renewable energy to twenty-six (26) selected sites including communities and public institutions in The Gambia.
However, as a climate mitigating initiative, the project is expected to potentially wean off the use of conventional diesel fuel electricity generation in The Gambia which is polluting the environment with carbon emissions.
According to the official, since the launch of the REPGam project on September 3, 2021, the project officials have been engaged in a series of activities which includes sensitization of stakeholders across intervention sites where all the local government authorities were informed and sensitized about the existence of REPGam and its intervention areas.
Meanwhile, in the past months, the team has conducted mapping and surveying across beneficiary sites where the project will be implemented and this has given technicians the opportunity to properly study the ground for a proper and standard installation in the coming months.
Dr. Ebrima Sonko, Deputy Director for Renewable Energy Potentials in the Gambia REPGam Project led the team to embark on a familiarization tour to intervention sites at Gambia Technical Training Institute (GTTI) and St John’s School for the Deft, revealed that they are also embarking on ten days countrywide tour for final installation in early 2023.
Dr. Sonko emphasized the significance of the project to the population, and the main significance of the project is to provide renewable solar energy to the people of the Gambia to minimize the cost spent on electricity, as most people spend a lot of money to buy cash power.
He noted that the involvement of the REPGam project shall help to play a very important role and to tackle the problem of insufficient supply of electricity in the country at large.
In the quest to have the project more impactful and benefit communities and institutions for a longer period, Sonko said that one of the sustainability mechanisms they implored was the selection of two hundred and ten (210) young people from various beneficiary communities and institutions that are undergoing capacity building training on solar installation, repairs, and maintenance at Sterling technical training institute in Busumbala.
