- The European Union (EU) is providing a €24 million grant to The Gambia.
- The funds will enable the electrification of schools and health centres in rural areas using solar energy.
The Gambia recently obtained funding to enhance essential services in rural areas. On the fringes of the Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) held from March 5 to March 8 in Doha, Qatar, the European Union (EU) authorised the €24 million award. A loan of €8 million from the European Investment Bank is included with the grant (EIB).
The funds will help with the execution of a plan to electrify 100 remote schools and 1,000 rural health centers.
The World Bank-cofinanced project will, once operational, increase The Gambia’s electricity supply by a fifth, according to the EIB. It also encourages the development of a new photovoltaic plant in Jambur (23 MWp), close to Banjul, as well as the improvement of the infrastructure for power transmission and distribution.
After Adama Barrow assumed power in The Gambia on January 17, 2017, the EU has increased its support for access to electricity and the development of renewable energy. The group has approved the release of 106 million euros in funds in 2019, comprising 65 million euros in a 25-year concessional loan from the EIB and 41 million euros in grant money from the EU budget. The funding was allocated under the Gambian government’s Renewable Energy Programme.