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Gambia's president declared a national emergency over an electricity crisis that
Gambia's president declared a national emergency over an electricity crisis that has seen parts of the small West African nation lose power for stretches lasting up to two days at a time. According to reporting this week, the blackouts — which worsened from June onward — triggered street protests in and around the capital Banjul, with demonstrators burning tyres and calling for the president's resignation. Officials at the national utility attributed the shortfalls to peak demand driven by high temperatures, compounded by constraints on electricity imports. President Adama Barrow pledged that a new 24-megawatt generation unit would come online by the end of October, and announced that a 50-megawatt solar plant has been contracted. Energy shortages of this kind affect daily life, healthcare, water access, and local businesses across many countries. When a government is facing a severe energy deficit and cannot supply everyone at once, how should it decide who gets reliable electricity first?