Three More Generators Arrive
Dec 13,2006 00:00
by
lamin
In what could be described as a yet another step in The Gambia’s strive to solve the problem of electricity and water supply in the country, His Excellency the president, Dr. Alhagie Yahya Jammeh, on Friday, 8th December 2006, received a new 6.4 megawatt generator at The Gambia Ports Authority for Kotu Power Station. The 6.4 megawatt generator was the third to arrive in a series within one week, the first two having already been stationed at the Brikama Power Plant.
In an interview with reporters, The Gambian leader expressed his government’s readiness to combat the problem of water and electricity in the country. “Electricity is of paramount importance to the socio-economic development of this country,” he said, adding that The Gambia’s ‘Silicon Valley’ and trade gateway status would not be attained without electricity.
President Jammeh added that no country can develop in the absence of industralisation as there cannot be any form of industralisation in the absence of reliable and affordable electricity supply. “A lot of industrialists wanted to come to The Gambia, but because of the irregular supply of electricity, they were loath to come,” President Jammeh revealed.
Also speaking to journalists, the Acting Managing Director of Nawec, Mr Momodou Jallow, expressed his conviction that the problem of electricity in the country will soon be a thing of the past.
According to Mr Jallow, the capacity at Kotu Power Station, with the addition of the new 6.4 megawatt generator, will be 35 megawatt now.
It could be recalled that in July this year, three generators were ordered by The Global Management system, bringing to six the total number of generators.
Many people expressed the hope about the capacity of the new generators to eradicate the problem of power failures that started in 1977. Analysts expressed the belief that the arrival of the generators is a big boost in the socio-economic development of the country