National Energy Policy - The Gambia 2015-2020.

This National Energy Policy aims at providing access to electricity, in order to deal with and energy crisis and challenges in the energy sector, and to boost economic growth and development of the Country’s economy, in the period between 2015 and 2020. The Policy describes the role of energy in the Gambian economy, providing an overview of the sector, an energy balance and the rate of demand and consumption. The Policy defines five targets to be reached and their relations to the energy sector: 1) eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; 2) achieve universal primary education; 3) promote gender equality and empower women; 4) improve maternal health; 5) combat AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
Furthermore, the Policy defines the fields of the energy sector in which it applies its objective: electricity; domestic fuels (wood, charcoal, agricultural wastes); renewable energies (solar, wind ,biomass and hydropower); petroleum products; liquefied petroleum gas. For each field, it describes overview, demand, accessibility, impacts of programmes and projects, current initiatives and expectations, constraints. The final paragraphs are dedicated to the impact of the different analysed energy sources on the environment, even with regard to the International Conventions and Agreements ratified by the Country. Particularly, as regards wind energy, hydroelectric power and domestic fuels, the Policy analyses impact of wind power facilities on land use, on wildlife and habitat and on public health.