Sierra Leone’s Minister of Energy, Alhaji Kanja Sesay, has told a Steering Committee on Energy that President Julius Maada Bio places a serious premium on the provision of reliable, available, sustainable and affordable electricity to the people of Sierra Leone and urged members of the multifaceted committee to positively impact energy sector reforms.
“In fact, His Excellency’s emphasis on this premium is in line with the mission and vision of the Ministry of Energy to develop policies and programs for the provision of energy on a constant and affordable basis and to create an enabling environment for the provision of modern energy services for the increased productivity, wealth creation and improved quality of life for all Sierra Leoneans,” Mr. Sesay remarked.
The Minister of Energy said that in the delivery of energy and energy access, engagements and collaborations with donor partners through a vehicle such as the Energy Steering Committee was critically important, adding that the Steering Committee’s work will help accomplish the commitment of the President of Sierra Leone and underscore the mission of the Ministry of Energy.
Mr. Sesay catalogued a number of energy programs that were ongoing in the country and some significant investments in the sector, but also bemoaned the challenges that beset the sector.
“The work of the Steering Committee will ensure that investments are well aligned and targeted to the long-term strategic goals of government. The National Electrification Plan and Strategy will provide direction to the Committee,” Mr. Sesay concluded while also thanking development partners for their tireless support to the sector.
World Bank Country Manager for Serra Leone, Abdu Muwonge, said information sharing was critical, noting that Sierra Leone was endowed with huge energy potentials or opportunities which needed to be unlocked through the right partnerships, investments and policies.
He said that knowledge of the sector and the financial viability of EDSA and EGTC were necessary for the Committee, noting that the meeting would give them the opportunity to have frank conversations on critical issues relating to energy.
Head of the Millennium Challenge Coordination Unit at the Ministry of Energy, Dr. Abdulai Jalloh, said that the Committee would be meeting on a quarterly basis, and would in its first year focus on reviewing the technical advice for central planning, coordinating investments to reduce technical and commercial losses and identifying and implementing key reforms to improve the sector’s financial outlook.
MCC’s Steve Grudda spoke about the Compact Development Program, stressing that his institution had received a Compact proposal from the Government of Sierra Leone in September last year.
He said the Chief Executive Officer of MCC was planning to visit Sierra Leone at the end of this month with a view to having a firsthand assessment of the state of the energy sector and to understand the work of her team.
