By: Austine Luseni.
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Energy, Alhaji Kanja Sesay, has furnished citizens with information relating to accomplishments in the energy sector in 2021, highlighted the challenges faced during that period and offered an upbeat assessment of what 2022 holds in store for the energy sector.
Mr. Sesay was speaking in an interview with the African Young Voices, AYV, as part of a series of engagements lined up with print and electronic media houses aimed at keeping the general public posted on achievements and challenges in the energy sector.
Reflecting on successes in 2021, Alhaji Kanja Sesay described the performance of his Ministry as excellent, adding that his Ministry did achieve far more than they had expected or bargained for in a single year. He spoke about the overall mandate of the Ministry of Energy and the generation and distribution components of the energy supply chain.
He said his Ministry had set up a Planning Unit in 2021 which was charged with the responsibility of addressing the issue of the lack of coordination in the sector. “We set up a dedicated Planning Unit of experts who look at the different programs and projects and the policy drive of the Ministry to guide us in achieving the sector objectives,” Mr. Sesay said.
The Minister of Energy also spoke about the Third Party Grid Loss Verification which his Ministry had undertaken with support from donor partners, noting that the Third Party Grid Loss Study revealed the alarming nature of technical, commercial and line losses accounting for the massive difference in what EDSA takes from the Karpowership and what is generated in revenue.
“In 2021 again, we were able to complete the Power Purchase Agreement and the Transmission Service Agreement with the CLSG. The Vice President led a high-level delegation to Ivory Coast to put final touches to the agreements,” the Minister of Energy stated, adding that the CLSG facility was now providing constant, affordable and quality electricity supply to the cities of Bo and Kenema.
Mr. Sesay also spoke about the various components of the Bo-Kenema Network Rehabilitation and Expansion Project and the many social and economic benefits that accrue to the two cities as a result of the current uninterrupted supply of electricity.
The Minister of Energy talked about the Western Area Power Generation Project which he had laid before Cabinet and Parliament, stressing that his Ministry was committed to improving and increasing the generation of electricity in the western area.
Mr. Sesay also talked about the completion of three of the five CLSG substations in Sierra Leone and the inclusion of communities along the CLSG line in a special package that would make those communities benefit from the CLSG electricity. He dismissed talks of the CLSG electricity being a regional one as baseless and inciting, adding that substations in Fadugu and Kamakwei would soon be completed.
In the area of renewable energy, the Minister of Energy highlighted strides made in the sector, noting that several communities in the rural areas were now benefitting from the rural electrification project which was aggressively being pursued by his Ministry with support from donors and collaboration from private partners.
He rounded off the highlights of his 2021 accomplishments by talking about the electrification project targeting seven district headquarter towns for which he said works were impressively and considerably afoot.
The Minister completed his impressive interview by talking about the challenges in 2021 and by envisioning a brighter 2022, with many projects lined up for implementation.
