Dr Ismaila Ceesay, minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, has dismissed concerns over a reported $30 million power-sector debt, describing it as relatively minor within the context of global energy markets and insisting it is not the main driver of The Gambia’s ongoing electricity outages.

Speaking in an interview with West Coast Radio, Ceesay argued that energy systems operate on large-scale financial structures, making such figures manageable in the broader industry context.

“When you consider energy and how energy markets work, the debt is not that much. I think it is something about 30-something million dollars if I get it right,” he said.

He stressed that electricity generation and cross-border power trade involve heavy capital investment and complex financial arrangements.

“This is not peanuts we are selling here and buying; this is energy; this is a high-capital-intensive product,” he added.

Ceesay maintained that the current electricity challenges are largely technical rather than financial, rejecting suggestions that the reported debt is driving the crisis.

“The problem is a technical issue, and that has to be clear as well. If it is about debt, we would have solved it because the debt is not that much,” he said.

He further disclosed that the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) is working with regional partners, including the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and Senegal’s SENELEC, to restore stability to the power supply system.

“What I can tell you is, NAWEC is working around the clock together with the regional partners EDG and SENELEC to resolve this technical issue,” he said.

He expressed confidence that the situation would soon improve, saying efforts underway were expected to resolve the disruptions in the near future.

By Adama Makasuba