TRACE: Applauding The Move Of Sierra Leone’s Energy Revolution

Hello guys how are you doing? TRACE took a U-Turn to Freetown after weeks in the provinces looking at activities in the regions.

Sierra Leone Minister of Energy 

It was amazing to see the Government of Sierra Leone and other stakeholders in the energy sector brainstorming on what should be done to improve access to energy in the country especially in rural areas.

In recognition of the fact that access to modern energy is a prerequisite for achieving the development goals in Sierra Leone, the policy objective and ultimate goal of the Government of Sierra Leone is:

To ensure the provision of modern energy services for increased productivity, wealth creation and improved quality of life for all Sierra Leoneans.

In order to address the problem of limited access to electricity in the country, according to the Ministry of Energy, there is a policy that is geared towards increasing supplies, through a comprehensive reform of the power sector, increasing liberalization of the sub-sector, attracting private investment and involvement and putting in place more effective mechanisms for monitoring and control.

The specific Objectives Include:

- To provide reliable and affordable power supplies to stimulate economic development of Sierra Leone, through the consolidation, improvement and expansion of existing power supply infrastructure.

 - To increase access to modern energy supplies for poverty reduction in off-grid areas.

 - To improve the efficiency of energy use.

 - To increase and diversify sources of energy supply in order to ensure security of supply

In this regard TRACE welcome the move taken by the government to address the energy situation in Sierra Leone.

TRACE was very attentive when various speakers were making their presentation at the New Brookfield’s hotel in Freetown on Thursday 28^th July 2016. The training was organised by Power for All as one of the implementing partners.  

TRACE was informed by the Campaign Director, for Power for All; Ms. Ami Dumbuya that the Sierra Leone Energy Revolution is a government of Sierra Leone led initiative by His Excellency President Ernest BaiKoroma and his Minister of Energy, Ambassador Henry Macauley as a way of increasing energy access in rural communities.

The day’s workshop Miss Dumbuya said is to communicate the compact and energy revolution targets as well as design and implement a streamlined product and company registration process.

To further support this, Miss Dumbuya went on,  a Compact was signed with the British Government on May 10^th 2016 with the key objective of removing market barriers and unlocking finance for the sector to strive.

 “The signing of the compact has set the stage for off-grid solutions and specifically household and business solar installations to take off in a real way, both governments made commitments in the compact to realize this vision.”

Here TRACE was very attentive again about the target set by the President Ernest BaiKoroma of connecting 50,000 households by 2016, and 250,000 by 2017. It is good for everyone to set target as stated by the President. The nation can only achieve more if the authority set target and accomplish it.

According to Madam Dumbuya, the Energy Revolution aims at attract decentralized solar enterprises and investors to Sierra Leone to meet ambitious energy access targets: Distribute 50,000 solar units by the end of 2016, Distribute 250,000 solar units by the end of 2017 and Extend basic power supply to all people in Sierra Leone within 9 years (Power for All).

Most time other form of energy supply have failed the nation, thanks be to God we now have thinker that thinks for them to return back to the natural greed which is from God Almighty.

Solar have lots of benefits for everyone, it is not only because it is power by the sun but help to protect the environment as well.  

Miss Dumbuya disclosed that as an implementing partner of the energy Africa Compact, Power for All has set up a task force comprising of key stakeholders to meet these targets. The task force includes: The Ministry of Energy, The UK Department for International Development (DfID), The Renewable Energy Association (REASL), The Sierra Leone Investment Export Promotion Agency (SLIPA), The Sierra Leone Opportunities For Business Action (SOBA), The Office of the President, and The Presidential Delivery Unit.

She explained that the task force is in the process of designing and implementing a program to catalyze the decentralized solar market. The program she added will address issues such as, barriers to entry for the private sector, unlocking finance, and talent development.

Power for All is a global campaign to accelerate the market-based growth of decentralized renewable energy. The campaign she stated serves as a collective voice for business and civil society organizations focused on “beyond-the-grid” renewable solutions, including decentralized solar, hydro, biomass and wind designed for households and business. Power For All aims to drive the policy, regulatory and financial environment needed for the sector to scale at speed, in order to rapidly increase the pace of energy access.

Ambassador Henry Macaulay is Sierra Leone Minister of Energy; he emphasized the importance of all government technical offices coming on board to support and implements this initiative as it is a priority on the President’s agenda. He went on to say that the President’s target is not born out of his own desires but a desire to save his people.

He disclosed that, President Koroma will review the progress of the Energy Revolution 100 days after its launch.

“In advance of this date on the 18th August, the Task Force has been working to establish strong foundations for action. A presentation on progress made and challenges encountered thus far will be made to the President in anticipation for his assistance to further move the implementation process faster,” he said.

He encouraged all sector players, such as the Renewable Energy Association, The Barefoot Women, and other stakeholders to assiduously work together to meet the President’s target of bringing decentralized power to our rural poor. 

A statistic given to TRACE indicated that Electricity is fundamental to human and economic development, yet in Sierra Leone, 99 percent of the rural population is unelectrified and in urban areas thousands lack power. This percentage is very alarming for the country.

TRACE love to spend weekends in the provinces, enjoying natural atmosphere of nature but TRACE is disturbed at times with lack of energy. Although energy access is an imperative, business-as-usual grid expansion is extremely costly and progress is slow.

But with renewable, distributed energy, TRACE believes the nation can leapfrog the traditional grid-centric approach and deliver energy access in half the time, at a fraction of the cost.

TRACE welcomes such proactive move taken by the government, the Energy Minister, Power for All, the National Revenue Authority and other stakeholders in the energy sector and wants to wish them well in this project as it is in the interest of the nation.