One of the top priorities of your government is – should be – to rebuild the economy. This is a great concern as it was completely destroyed during the latter part of the reign of the previous government. One can even say that the Gambia was almost bankrupt. The coffers of government were almost empty and the reserve was nothing to write home about. The cost of living skyrocketed and basic commodities became too expensive for the ordinary Gambian.
There is no doubt that majority of the people of the Gambia had very high hopes (some realistic, others not) that the economy will turn round quickly. This was palpable everywhere in the country as people sought to find ways to improve their living conditions. At one point, when the government announced a reduction in the fuel price and later the transport fares, some thought that it would be a beginning of a new wave of economic prosperity.
However, the constant problem of water and electricity was like a stab in the back. Certainly, investors play an important role in the economic development of a country. When investors come to a country, employment is created, the economy receives a boast and the cost of living becomes bearable. It is true that we have a problem of unemployment and having investors come here and invest in our country will contribute to the creation of jobs.
The problem is that this cannot happen where there is a lack of constant energy supply. When people want to invest in business only to discover that the electricity is not stable, they change their minds and take their businesses elsewhere. So, the NAWEC quagmire will definitely lead to the loss of many prospective investors. That will be a minus for our fragile economy.
It is true that we have seen an improvement in the supply of electricity in the rural areas due to the cooperation between NAWEC and SENELEC; but in the urban areas it has even become worse. Initially, we were told that after Ramadan the electricity will be stable, later they said October (which is almost gone), then it was December; and now we have started hearing about February. When on earth will it be?
You see, Mr President, every now and then we read in the newspapers that NAWEC has signed this or that agreement with this or that country for 49 million pounds, dollars or what not; but this only goes to increase the anxiety among the populace. What with corruption and embezzlement!
In my humble opinion, you should constitute a taskforce to look into the root cause of the problems of NAWEC. This taskforce will investigate, recommend, and suggest ways to solve the problem of electricity and water once and for all. The population is becoming more impatient every passing day.
Have a Good day Mr President….
Tha Scribbler Bah
A Concerned Citizen