Frequent power outages are disrupting businesses, education and daily life across The Gambia, leaving workers unable to operate and students struggling to study as authorities seek solutions to the worsening electricity crisis.
Gambians are facing mounting disruption from constant power outages, with unreliable electricity affecting livelihoods, businesses and education as the country struggles to return to normal.
For workers and small business owners who depend on electricity to operate, the outages have meant lost working hours and damaged goods, adding pressure to households already dealing with rising costs.
The impact has been particularly severe for people whose livelihoods depend on refrigeration. A fish vendor described how the prolonged outages have left storage facilities and refrigerators unusable, resulting in significant losses.
“The storage facility and our refrigerators are not working. All our fish is spoiled and there is no work,” the vendor said.
The electricity shortages are also affecting students, with many struggling to study, complete assignments or prepare for examinations when power is unavailable. For families without reliable alternative sources of electricity, the disruptions have made learning increasingly difficult.
The crisis has consequently extended beyond individual households and businesses, affecting the wider economy and daily routines. Workers who require electricity to perform their jobs are unable to maintain normal operations, while traders face the risk of losing perishable goods.
Amid growing public frustration, President Adama Barrow is establishing a task force to examine the electricity crisis and identify possible solutions. The move comes as authorities face increasing pressure to address the disruptions and restore a more reliable power supply.
For many Gambians, however, the immediate concern remains getting through each day without knowing when electricity will be available. As businesses lose stock, workers lose income and students struggle to keep up with their studies, the power crisis continues to weigh heavily on a country seeking a return to normalcy.
