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China, Gambia agree energy production deal to end power woes

Xinhua, March 17, 2016 Adjust font size:

Gambia's Ministry of Petroleum and Energy and Sinohydro, a state-owned Chinese company, have agreed on energy production that will enhance better and affordable electricity supply across Gambia.

Officials from both sides are on negotiations on how to increase energy production in the West African nation which continues to suffer from energy supply shortages.

On Wednesday, the officials have completed the first synergy meeting which lasted for three days that aimed to sharply enhance power production in Gambia.

The meeting will be followed by a finalization meeting scheduled to take place on April 18-20 April in Banjul.

"The discussion was fruitful and it will help Gambia a lot to improve on our energy sector, to boost power production in Gambia by consummating a 50 megawatt generation plant to replace the country's aging power generation capacity; install a 132KV (kilovolt) power transmission backbone line; and reinforcement of 33 KV transmission systems in the Greater Banjul Area of The Gambia", according to the officials at the meeting.

"When we fully finalised the deal, the project will greatly enhance the country's ability to produce electricity for Gambians," said Momodou Njie, permanent secretary at the ministry said.

"Our objective is squarely to meet the short and medium term power needs of Gambians," said Sinohydro's Africa vice president Liu Xiaomin.

This objective is consistent with the Gambia government's efforts at improving the country's transmission capacity to deliver power to end users, Liu said.

On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Gambian counterpart Neneh MacDouall-Gaye signed a joint communique in Beijing to resume diplomatic relations.

Wang said China stands ready to enhance mutual trust, expand cooperation and increase people-to-people exchanges with Gambia and will support the African country's efforts to play a bigger role in international and regional affairs.

The two countries established formal diplomatic links in 1974 but China suspended the relations in 1995 when Gambia resumed the so-called "diplomatic ties" with Taiwan. Enditem