There is palpable excitement in the West Coast Region (WCR), the home region of President Jammeh, as the electricity expansion project being carried out by the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) continues to impact positively on the lives of the inhabitants. Almost two years after the project was hatched to the joy of many a WCR inhabitant, this reporter went back to assess the impact this pro-poor scheme has on people in the beneficiary communities. From Mandinaba to Jiboroh, Bullok to Kalagi and Gunjur, the villagers could not hide their excitement, which is easily noticeable on their faces. They truly have reason to smile and even smile bigger for the fact that this project has brought to an end, their age-old dependence on candles and kerosene lamps, which often exposes them to calamities such as infernos. Anyone who is a frequent traveler on the Trans-Gambia Highway will easily notice that the West Coast Region, particularly from Mandinaba to Kalagi, has dramatically changed, with virtually all the villages along the road electrified. Villages that are off the roads, which are yet to benefit from the project, are enjoying solar power.

The WCR electrification project is under NAWEC's Rural Electrification Expansion Project. Contracted to Ballast Nedam, a Dutch firm, the first phase of the project started in Kombo East in November 2012, bringing immense joy to the inhabitants of district. The project has proven to be successful with many of the villages in the region already enjoying streetlights and electricity in their homes. As a matter of the fact, NAWEC has already supplied and installed thousands of pre-paid electricity meters (cash power) in homes that first applied for them.

Boom in economic activities

Apart from supplying electricity in homes for domestic use, this project also came along with numerous economic benefits. For instance, it has enhanced petty trading significantly as the dwellers, particularly women, stay longer hours in the evening to sell different varieties of products to both villagers and travelers. Also, the project has enticed women to buy refrigerators to engage in ice making. That business is particularly doing well, especially this hot season when the demand is high among people.

Taxi drivers also have their share of the economic benefits, with majority of them encouraged to drive very late in the night. They are doing so because there is an uninterrupted street lighting system that is making life easy for them. They have also been enticed because a lot of people travel to and from the area anytime of the day, and this to them, is a great opportunity to make as much money as possible.

Communities are largely busy as more people arrive from different parts of the country to grab lands or develop plots that they purchased long ago.

But all these credits go to one man who has for 19 years been the driver of The Gambia's economic, social and infrastructural transformation with his developments felt in every facet of the nation. He is of course President Jammeh, who has always demonstrated his commitment to transform West Coast Region, from Kartong to Kalagi, through power supply. With this project, many villages have realised their enormous development potentials, particularly in business.

As part of the phase two of the Rural Electrification Project, the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) has also commenced electricity connection in Gunjur, along with a multi-million dollar water supply project, which is also expected to start by mid-September this year.

Voices of beneficiaries

"Today I am enjoying electricity in my house just like the way those in Banjul are enjoying," stated Foni Jarrol National Assembly member, Borry S. Colley, who expressly voiced his appreciation of the project. "Since the coming of the project," he said, "it has made innumerable positive impacts on the lives of the people".

Colley remarked that access to electricity, like any other social amenity, is a basic right for everyone, saying this explained why President Jammeh has always been concerned about equality among Gambians in all of his government's development endeavours.

Even though Kalagi, the region's border village with the Lower River Region (LRR) and its surrounding villages are yet to enjoy full electricity, Colley pointed out that NAWEC has already installed stand poles in the area waiting to be connected anytime soon.

In the past, the people of Kombo East and the Foni areas used to travel as far as Brikama to facilitate many of their activities that require electricity, like the charging of their car batteries, ice production, printing of documents and internet browsing. But today, that seems to be history, as these facilities have been created along the highway from Mandinaba to Kalagi. In Mandinaba, for instance, there is a proposed housing scheme of the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation (SSHFC) that is yet to commence. But expectations are that with the coming of electricity, the project will soon kick-off.

Power and crime reduction

Total crime prevention in communities will remain a figment of imagination with the absence of essential basic amenities like electricity. This is because the availability of electricity anywhere plays a crucial role in checking crime. When there is electricity supply, especially street lighting system, criminals are most of the time discouraged from pursuing their criminal enterprises as they try to avoid being caught. With electricity everywhere, people can easily detect criminal activities, and this is all the more reason why these communities have not been experiencing illegal activities as before.

The station officer at the Mandinaba police post, Famara Sanneh attested to the fact that the coming of electricity in the region has made their work much easier. He said electricity is very important in facilitating the work of the security personnel, adding that this has already been manifested with the coming the street lighting system.

For the manager of the Bwiam Community Radio Station, Yusupha Bojang, the coming of electricity in Bwiam is a blessing. He said before the coming of the project, even 20 liters of fuel do not serve them for a day. Today, he said the project has brought about enormous changes in Foni since it was launched almost two years ago.