Barrow Pledges to Restore Power by Month-End as Gambia Blackout Protests Spread to Capital Streets

Gambian President Adama Barrow pledged on September 9 to commission an additional generator unit before the end of October and to accelerate the construction of a 50-megawatt solar power plant, in an effort to defuse violent protests that have escalated over persistent blackouts. According to Africanews, from the evening of September 8 into the early hours of September 9, demonstrators in Banjul and neighboring cities set fire to tires, blocked traffic and chanted "Barrow must step down." In the Westfield suburb on the outskirts of the capital, crowds advanced toward the headquarters of the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC), and police dispersed them with tear gas.

The protests marked a sharp escalation of the electricity crisis. Since June, Gambia has suffered rolling blackouts coinciding with the high-temperature season across West Africa, with some areas experiencing single outages of up to 48 hours. During an inspection of the NAWEC power station in Brikama, Barrow characterized the blackouts as a "national security issue" and an "emergency," declaring that "the time for action is now."

In his nationally televised address that evening, he openly acknowledged the hardship inflicted on daily life: "I know the fans have stopped turning, children are doing their homework in the dark, mothers are being forced to throw out spoiled food, and the heat is unbearable day and night." Barrow announced that an additional 24-megawatt generator unit had entered the "final stage" of installation and would be commissioned before October 2026, noting that "for a power system of our scale, this is a considerable amount of electricity, enough to meaningfully improve supply to your households." He also stated that the contract for a 50-megawatt solar power plant in the Somita area had been awarded, with the contractor mobilizing resources to begin work, and pledged that "the national power supply situation will improve before the end of October."

The power crisis has collided head-on with Barrow's political agenda of seeking a third term. With the December elections approaching, public frustration has spread from homes to the streets. Information Minister Ismaila Ceesay issued a statement saying the government "is treating the current situation with the seriousness and highest urgency it deserves, and assures all Gambians that we are working tirelessly."

When explaining the causes of the blackouts, NAWEC Managing Director Golo Saidy pointed to surging demand, climate change and the impact of the Middle East war on electricity imports. In mid-August, the company had said the outages stemmed from "restricted electricity imports." However, attributing a West African country's power supply crisis to a distant Middle East conflict lacks corroboration from independent sources and appears to externalize internal governance failures and insufficient infrastructure investment as external shocks. Saidy canceled his scheduled attendance at a road inauguration ceremony and instead visited NAWEC facilities in Brikama and Kotu — the two areas hardest hit by the blackouts and protests — calling on the public to remain patient.

The constitutionality and legitimacy of Barrow's pursuit of a third term is openly contested within Gambia, but the legal dimensions of that dispute have not been fully presented in current reporting.