The opposition United Democratic Party said persistent nationwide power outages have worsened the hardship families are facing ahead of Eid Ul Adha (Tobaski), with many households reportedly losing stored meat and food due to prolonged blackouts.

The party said many Gambian families, already struggling with the rising cost of living, inflation, and unemployment, could not afford rams for Tobaski and instead bought small quantities of meat from local markets to preserve in refrigerators and freezers for the celebration.

However, according to the UDP, the worsening electricity crisis caused much of the food to spoil.

“This is not merely an inconvenience. It is a national crisis affecting the dignity, livelihoods, health, and religious celebrations of the Gambian people,” the party said.

The UDP described the current energy situation as “alarming and unsustainable,” arguing that The Gambia requires about 150 megawatts of electricity generation capacity to maintain stable nationwide supply.

The party said more than 50 megawatts are sourced externally from Senegal through Senelec and warned that the global energy crisis and growing domestic demand in Senegal could further affect electricity exports to The Gambia.

The UDP also claimed that reports from whistleblowers within National Water and Electricity Company suggest domestic electricity generation may have fallen below 15 megawatts.

“This explains the endless blackouts, damaged appliances, food spoilage, business losses, and growing frustration among Gambians across the country,” the party added.

The UDP further alleged that NAWEC owes Senelec millions of dalasis in unpaid arrears, leaving the country vulnerable to further supply disruptions.

As part of its proposed short-term measures, the party called for emergency rehabilitation of generators, settlement of arrears owed to Senelec, temporary power rental solutions, and the publication of transparent load-shedding schedules.

The party also urged authorities to provide emergency relief support for hospitals, small businesses, cold storage operators, and vulnerable households affected by the outages.

On long-term reforms, the UDP called for massive investment in solar, wind, and gas-powered electricity generation, expansion of the national grid, encouragement of private sector participation in power generation, and stronger accountability within NAWEC.

“The suffering of Gambians must never be normalized. Access to reliable electricity is not a luxury. It is a necessity for economic development, healthcare, education, food preservation, and human dignity,” the party said.

By Adama Makasuba