By Fatou Sanneh
The Hon. Minister of Communication and Digital Economy has said that our development needs cannot be meaningfully realised without energy availability and sufficiency.
Hon, Ousman A. Bah made this remark while delivering a keynote speech on behalf of Vice President Dr. Badara . A. Joof at the 7th ECOWAS Regional Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERERA) recently held at Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre in Bijilo.
Minister Bah stressed that availability and access to modern energy services are not only vital in reducing poverty in the region but a crucial weapon for the maintenance and sustenance of peace and security in sub-Saharan Africa.
“The government of The Gambia sees access to energy as a necessity to the development agenda of the country and it is ever committed to achieving universal electricity access by 2025, which largely corresponds to energy and security aspirations of the ECOWAS region,’’ he remarked.
The 2-day forum hosted by The Gambia Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) is expected to provide an opportunity to reaffirm the commitment of ECOWAS to good governance and strengthen the role of ERERA as an institution for the harmonisation of regulations, policies, and practices of the electricity sector.
ERERA forum is an annual forum that brings together stakeholders across the region to deliberate on key pertinent issues affecting the energy sector with the hope to elevate and strengthen the sector of the region. ERERA is the regulator of the regional cross-border trade of electricity in West Africa.
This year’s theme, “Energy security in ECOWAS region through interdependence”, seeks to promote energy interdependency among the member states.
On the importance of energy cooperation, the Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Hon. Abdoulie Jobe noted that Gambia imports electricity from Senegal which is an integral part of the stakeholder roadmap of the country.
Minister Jobe called for more private sector participation; capacity building, expertise and resource sharing to boost the energy sector in the region.
The Director General of PURA, Mr. Yuspha M Jobe said the forum offered regulators, development policymakers, consumer and utility service providers an avenue to rethink and offer solutions to the increasing trend of high energy cost and underlying bottlenecks affecting the region.
“As our collective demands and desirable energy supply increase, this forum stimulates the objective discussions and offer feasible solutions to our growing energy needs; as we reflect on the current realities of the region - as it impacts our growth and development objectives”.
The Chairman of ERERA, Mr. Laurent Kocou R. Tossou thanked the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum and PURA for successfully hosting the forum.
The forum was attended by major stakeholders such as representatives of the ministries in charge of energy, regulatory authorities, utility companies, parliamentarians, academics, researchers, consumer groups, and regional and international financial institutions and development partners.
