The Government of Sierra Leone led by President Julius Maada Bio has woefully failed to fulfil its campaign promises, one of which is the provision of cost-effective and sustainable electricity supply for Sierra Leoneans.
The energy sector under Bio’s administration, especially in this of his second and final tenure, is nothing to write home about. And this failure by the Paopa Government has left the people more impoverished, hindered, battered and frustrated than any other time in post-independence Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leoneans continue to be pitched in endless blackout amid the high cost of electricity tariffs they are paying, and any end to the ugly situation is yet to be seen. Worst still, rather than initiating policies for homegrown solutions to the country’s energy dilemma, the government would choose to succumb to contracts with foreign nationals for the provision of electricity in a nation richly endowed.
The continual reliance on the Turkish Karpowership to provide electricity to the Western Area doesn’t seem to be sustainable, not even a workable solution to the energy crisis. It only serves the short-term interests of the nation while the long-term benefits go to them, the service provider. In short, too much of dependency on foreign firms or corporations for basic local services like electricity does more harm than good, and this foreign grip on the energy sector will continue if the ruling class continues to fail in its duty to initiative policies for local solutions.
In a sense, the electricity crisis in Sierra Leone is becoming a state of emergency under the Bio Paopa government. Offices are not properly functioning, and businesses severely affected, thus unleashing a heavy blow on the national economy with the masses suffering the ultimate brunt. Businesses face increased operational costs, buying expensive fuel to power generators. Homes confront a situation of low productivity and discomfort.
The masses also grapple with high electricity tariffs even as the service remains unreliable. Household electrical appliances become frequently faulty as a result of epileptic power supply.
In the face of all of this, the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA), the national institution mandated to provide electricity service, seems sleeping in its comfort zone paraded by inept and corrupt officials!
EDSA is responsible for electricity distribution and billing system in the country. But it has remained the centre of criticism for the ineptitude and corrupt nature of the top cadre of its workforce, who despite having shifted from the postpaid to the prepaid meter system, inadequacy of income to bankroll the energy sector has become worse in real time under their tutelage.
The Karpowership is a business entity, and its main aim is to maximize profit. Its contract with the Sierra Leone government is not charitable. This means that the government, through EDSA, is obliged to regularly honour its financial obligations for persistent power generation. Failure by the government to honour these obligations would always prompt the company to reduce or outrightly cut power supply to the entire capital city.
The Paopa government must strive to free Sierra Leone from the shackles of a foreign power provider, such as the Karpowership, by developing long-term energy solutions that prioritize national interests over foreign profits. This could be achieved if the Paopa Government imbibes the political will and urgently undertakes the implementation of sustainable energy reforms that curb over-reliance on foreign power providers in accordance with the Dar es Salaam Summit that seeks to transform Africa’s energy narrative. Failure to take a positive action now may continue to place the country’s financial resources on the line for foreign power companies to drain, thus undermine the nation’s potential for energy independence and economic growth!