By Fatoumatta J Camara
The Millenium Challenge Account-Gambia (MCA-G) with support from the Millenium Challenge Cooperation (MCC) implementing a $25 million Threshold Program on Tuesday held a consultation workshop on the NAWEC Water and Power Separation Study. The workshop was held at the Sir DawdaKairaba Jawara Conference Center, Bijilo.
The threshold program aims to enhance the governance and operation of the power sector by instituting reforms that drive accountability and transparency in the country.
CEO of Millenium Challenge Account-Gambia, SaffieDembelleh stated that the discussion constitutes one of the predetermined activities financed by the MCC Threshold Program, which seeks to address the challenges of unreliable and inadequate supplying of electricity in The Gambia.
“The Program is designed to complement the investments in the energy sector that the Government of The Gambia has undertaken with the support from other development partners such as the World Bank and European Union”, he noted.
Through the World Bank’s support to the energy sector, he said, some progress has been realized including the separation of accounts for NAWEC’s business units.
He also noted that through the MCC Threshold Program intervention, the government requested the NAWEC separation study among several other activities being implemented by GA Consulting Group.
He went further that the study intended to examine the costs and benefits of different options of lead separation, aimed to assist the government in making an informed decision.
The Minister of Petroleum, Hon. Nani Juwara said the forum would offer the opportunity to guide the government’s major decision to direct the future operations and management of the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC).
“In the Recovery Focus National Development Plan, the government has highlighted universal access to renewable energy and immediate policy, legal and regulatory frameworks as priority intervention areas in the National Development Plan”, he highlighted.
The Minister continued in his remarks that the electricity market must be further liberalized with NAWEC repositioning to act as a wholesale buyer as well as network infrastructure manager and electricity distributor.
He explained that before the Recovery Focus National Development Plan, the government developed The Gambia Strategy Electricity Roadmap as a guide for the transformation of the electricity sub-sector seeking to achieve universal access by 2025 through the exploration of least cost generation options and increasing the high penetration of variable renewable energy in the electricity mix.
“The Gambia has recorded significant gains in the power sector with the help of development partners by at least achieving up to about 63 percent access level, also inaugurated about 23 megawatts grid connection solar park in Jambur,” he said.
He stated that there is also support to upgrade the transmission capacity which will help improve the electricity stability in the country. Guided by the drive for improvement in operational efficiency and leveling the playing field to encourage private sector participation in the power sector, the government of The Gambia intends to decouple the water and electricity businesses of NAWEC.
He highlighted that the envisaged separation will lead to improved service delivery, increase focus on water services, increase investment in both service infrastructure, and reduce the financial burden on the national budget.
More so, he expressed that the MCC intervention will assist the government of The Gambia in reducing the challenges of unreliable and inadequate electricity supply in the country.