{"id":88191,"date":"2025-10-16T19:44:29","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T19:44:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/foni-berefet-lights-up-under-66m-ecowas-world-bank-project"},"modified":"2025-10-16T20:59:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T20:59:12","slug":"foni-berefet-lights-up-under-66m-ecowas-world-bank-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/foni-berefet-lights-up-under-66m-ecowas-world-bank-project","title":{"rendered":"Foni Berefet Lights up under $66M Ecowas\u2013World Bank Project"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. <\/strong><\/span>The once-dark village of Foni Berefet in the West Coast Region on Friday, 10th October 2025, witnessed a historic transformation as it was officially connected to the national electricity grid.<\/b><\/p>\n

This was done under the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Access Project (ECOREAP), jointly funded by the World Bank and the ECOWAS Commission.<\/p>\n

The commissioning ceremony marked a milestone in The Gambia\u2019s rural electrification drive, bringing joy and hope to hundreds of residents who, for the first time, can now power their homes, schools, and businesses.<\/p>\n

Speaking on behalf of the village Alkalo, Lamin Sanyang described the moment as \u201ca day to celebrate,\u201d noting that Berefet had waited for decades for such development. He thanked the government, the Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Hon. Nani Juwara, and partners from ECOWAS and the World Bank for making the dream of electricity a reality. \u201cWhen you give electricity to man, you give him everlasting life,\u201d he said, reflecting the community\u2019s deep sense of gratitude.<\/p>\n

Hon. Amie Kolley, National Assembly Member for Foni Brefet, hailed the project as \u201ca symbol of progress, dignity, and renewed hope,\u201d stressing its life-changing impact on education, healthcare, and local enterprise. \u201cElectricity means children can study at night, health workers can provide better services, and small businesses can thrive,\u201d she said, urging residents to take ownership of the project and use it wisely.<\/p>\n

The Governor of the West Coast Region, Mr. Ousman Bojang, commended NAWEC and its partners for bringing electricity to rural communities, describing the achievement as \u201ca testament to what collaboration between government and development partners can deliver.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his remarks, NAWEC Managing Director, Mr. Gallo Saidy, reaffirmed the government\u2019s commitment to achieving universal electricity access by the end of 2025. \u201cToday, Berefet officially joins the NAWEC electricity family,\u201d he said, thanking ECOWAS and the World Bank for supporting 93 communities across the region\u201411 of them in the Foni Brefet area.<\/p>\n

Representing ECOWAS, Mr. Arkadius Koumoin, Ag. Head of Division for Conventional Energy said the regional project aims to electrify 675 localities across The Gambia, Mali, and Guinea-Bissau, including 395 in The Gambia alone. \u201cElectricity is more than just light; it is knowledge, health, and opportunity,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

World Bank Task Team Leader, Ms. Elise Massan Akitani, highlighted the project\u2019s long-term goal of connecting 395 Gambian communities by December 2025, describing the Berefet commissioning as a \u201cteam victory.\u201d<\/p>\n

The event concluded with the presentation of certificates of appreciation by the community to the Government, NAWEC, ECOWAS, and the World Bank for their contribution.<\/p>\n

As the transformer was switched on by Minister Nani Juwara, cheers erupted across the village, a symbol of light, progress, and the promise of a brighter future for Foni Berefet.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Gambia<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. The once-dark village of Foni Berefet in the West Coast Region on Friday, 10th October 2025, witnessed a historic transformation as it was officially connected to the national electricity grid. This was done under the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Access Project (ECOREAP), jointly funded by the World Bank and the ECOWAS Commission. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":88189,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-88191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"\nFoni Berefet Lights up under $66M Ecowas\u2013World Bank Project - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The once-dark village of Foni Berefet in the West Coast Region on Friday, 10th October 2025, witnessed a historic tra ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/foni-berefet-lights-up-under-66m-ecowas-world-bank-project\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Foni Berefet Lights up under $66M Ecowas\u2013World Bank Project\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The once-dark village of Foni Berefet in the West Coast Region on Friday, 10th October 2025, witnessed a historic tra ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/foni-berefet-lights-up-under-66m-ecowas-world-bank-project\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gambia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-16T19:44:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-16T20:59:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/sm_1760635715.991361.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/foni-berefet-lights-up-under-66m-ecowas-world-bank-project#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/foni-berefet-lights-up-under-66m-ecowas-world-bank-project\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Foni Berefet Lights up under $66M Ecowas\u2013World Bank Project\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-16T19:44:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-16T20:59:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/foni-berefet-lights-up-under-66m-ecowas-world-bank-project\"},\"wordCount\":464,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/foni-berefet-lights-up-under-66m-ecowas-world-bank-project#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2025\/10\/sm_1760635715.991361.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Gambia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/foni-berefet-lights-up-under-66m-ecowas-world-bank-project#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/foni-berefet-lights-up-under-66m-ecowas-world-bank-project\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/foni-berefet-lights-up-under-66m-ecowas-world-bank-project\",\"name\":\"Foni Berefet Lights up under $66M Ecowas\u2013World Bank Project - 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