‘President should kick out those responsible for power crisis’

Amid worsening electricity crisis affecting most part of the country, Member for Kiang West Lamin Ceesay has called on President Adama Barrow to make those responsible for the “total management failure” that led to the country’s worsening electricity crisis, accountable.

“The president doesn’t sit in Nawec, but he appoints people to sit there as managers and board members. So iIf they fail in their responsibilities,  he should go and kick them out,” Hon Ceesay said.

The lawmaker said the frequent blackouts affecting homes, businesses, schools and hospitals did not happen overnight and should have been foreseen through proper monitoring and maintenance of the national power system.

“Power generation and distribution does not deteriorate overnight. There is always a sign that tells you the status of your system. It requires proactive maintenance, periodic risk assessment and good investment in the infrastructure,” he said.

Ceesay argued that the responsibility for this failure lies ultimately with those entrusted to manage the National Water and Electricity Company (Nawec), and the president should act if officials fail to deliver on their mandate.

He also questioned the significance of the utility company’s reported financial success amid widespread public dissatisfaction with service delivery.

“If Nawec is telling us that they made a profit of one billion dalasis in 2025, what does that mean if the service delivery is poor?” he asked.

The debate followed a Matter of the Day raised by Latrikunda Sabiji NAM Yahya Sanyang, who described the electricity situation as a national economic and social emergency and called for greater investment in domestic power generation and a clear roadmap to stabilise the grid.