By Africa24 writer

Sierra Leone’s government is bound to fail to meet a worthy target that has the potential to change the economic lives of every Sierra Leonean who stands to get daily access to electricity in the country.

The country has set itself target through the help of a mega-fund by the US government since 2014, under the leadership of former President Ernest Bai Koroma.

The previous led-government of Koroma, All People’s Congress (APC) made series of commitments to ensuring that Sierra Leone’s considers the perennial issues of repeated power cuts-in this West Africa coastal land nation colonized by Great Britain in the 1800s.

Since those colonial periods to independence in 1961, the Portuguese found country, Sierra Leone, is yet to fix energy power concerns, electricity and water supply.

The previous government of Sierra Leone, APC, boasted that it was able to upgrade the nation’s main hydropower source, Bumbuna dam, from the north of the country, starting its operations effectively in early 2008 to 2012.

But, the dam is yet to fully supply the capital of Sierra Leone, Freetown and other nearby towns on the city’s outskirts.

Owing to these growing defects, the government signed many projects that would see a turnaround in the energy sector.

And the current government of President Julius Maada Bio, of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) which assumed power since 2018, had been passed on the baton by APC’s then leader, Koroma to Bio, to strengthen energy power supply.

But, it is clear that Bio like Koroma has failed to light, on a non-stop service basis, Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown and the rural parts of the country.

Both governments, in fact, so sadly, have “wasted unaccountably” billions of dollars while the energy power supply sector is still replete with unresolved problems of power cuts – in other words, the billion donor funds haven’t resulted to positive dividend in the sector – ‘black-outs’ or power cuts are  common problems in the capital and other major towns in the provinces.

Recently, a report has stated that Bio’s SLPP government owed $46 million, a Turkish Karpowership, a mega offshore sea stationed power supplier in Freetown.

The government has only two months on its target plate to see if it could meet a 350 MW power supply in the country, adding to the existing 100MW, roughly, ( as per a report that is available online at the time of writing this story),  that the country national power  station is distributing to companies, government agencies and Sierra Leonean customers. But that is far-fetched dream; government will not be able to hit the target.

Because, the government of Sierra Leone, led by President Bio, has been recently removed from United States’ Millennium Challenge Co-orporation  (MCC)’s agreement for Sierra Leone to get millions of dollars in order to strengthen its energy sector.

“We have invested significant time and resources working together first, through a $44million Threshold Program, and since December 2022  to develop a compact program that has the potential to significantly impact the lives of the people of Sierra Leone,” a US’s MCC’s statement on July 21, reads in part.

MCC’s Board of Directors’ moves to discontinue MCC’s compact with Sierra Leone Government to support the Africa country on its paralyzed energy sector is connected to allegations of vote rigging, abuse of rule of law, human rights violations of people by Sierra Leone’s government on the conduct of June’s 24, 2023 general elections.

But, Bio’s energy minister still preaches hope to Sierra Leoneans that a $500 million MCC’s withhold grant to Sierra Leone’s government is on the way.

But, the Americans or US government have not spoken yet since they blacklisted Sierra Leone’s government to receive the whooping fund owing to wider concerns of ‘democracy in Sierra Leone being undermined’ during June 24, 2023 general elections.

Energy sector; governments’ all-time problem

Under Koroma’s era, Power Africa, a multi-partner initiative to increase efficient electricity in sub-Saharan Africa, supported Sierra Leone in 2015 with a $44.4 million four-year threshold program through the United States Millennium Challenge Co-operation (MCC).

Other initiatives undertaken by the government, APC, included the establishment of a Rural renewable Project to support increased access to rural energy resources, a Rural Electricity Board and a Rural Electricity Fund to promote and to ensure electrification being widely available in all regions in Sierra Leone, a Renewable Energy Empowerment Project to develop a knowledge base of existing renewable energy policies.

The Cote d’Ivoire-Liberia-Sierra Leone-Guinea (CLSG) interconnector project, under the West African Power Pool (WAPP) program, aims to provide an increased supply of electricity to these countries to meet the growing demand and to create an incentive for hydropower potentials that exist in Sierra Leone.

But, coronavirus pandemic (between 2020 and 2021) reportedly stalled progress on the project implementation.

Now, electricity transmission poles are being erected across the country but on a snail-paced.

Sierra Leone seeks to increase installed capacity from the current 100MW to 350 MW by 2023 while aiming to fully utilize its potential to exploit the 1,240 megawatts capacity for local consumption and export in the sub-region. A dream started by former President Ernest Bai Koroma.

But this target has neither been met by Koroma nor President Bio.

The two months left in the year 2023, cannot be enough for the government of Bio to meet such a target set since 2014.

If the country is to succeed in its energy efficiency, corruption within the sector must be dealt with by US donor partners, a view that many Sierra Leoneans share.

The US’ MCC’s energy sector capacity in Sierra Leone must be championed by US government supervisors. Otherwise, if the $500 million lands again on government hands alone, projects signed to finish Bumbuna hydropower dam and other mini-dams in the country might not be completed or even started due to the existence of rogue private contractors and government supervisors.

Sierra Leone is blessed with hydropower environments.

An energy research firm report indicates that: “The many rivers with numerous waterfalls and abundant sunlight for solar energy create considerable capacities for power generation.

“The U.S. firms command exceptional expertise in energy generation and producers of high-quality power equipment. This expertise and these products are of priority in the region and in considerable demand.”