Sierra Leone’s Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh has on behalf of His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio launched a 52MW RESPITE Electricity Project at Newton, just outside Freetown.

The Regional Solar Power Intervention Project, RESPITE, is implemented by the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority, EDSA, with support from the World Bank and the Government of Sierra Leone.

The project, which entails a 40MW at Newton, a 10MW at Lungi and an additional 12MW at Newton, is expected to be implemented within 12 months.

Making his statement, Dr. Juldeh Jalloh said the launch of the 52MW project was a demonstration of President Bio’s commitment to realizing his vision of providing a safer and more accessible and affordable electricity nationwide, noting that electricity was a critical driver of national development.

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He catalogued the many social and economic projects that the President had launched in the last couple of weeks, including but not limited to the iron manufacturing factory at Songo, the Lumley bus park and market, and the youth empowerment initiative through tricycles and motorbikes.

Dr. Jalloh said that all of these projects were consistent with the spirit of the Big Five agenda and the vision of the President to improve social livelihoods, stimulate economic growth,and enhance revenue generation and mobilization.

The Vice President thanked development partners for being steadfast and reliable in their support to the government, noting that the project was critical to the country’s transformation drive in the energy sector.

He thanked stakeholders and agencies in the sector for their dedication to delivering on presidential energy commitments and warned citizens against engaging in illegal abstraction of electricity.

Chairman Energy Governance Coordination Group and Energy Sector Lead, Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, gave an overview of government’s short, medium and long-term plans for the sector, adding that the project was part of their short and medium-term plans for the sector.

Deputy Minister of Energy l, Dr. Eldred Taylor, could not hide his joy as an indigine of Newton. He said the historical injustice that the western rural had had to suffer is now being corrected through service delivery by President Bio.

He said over 40 communities in the western rural will benefit from the project and thanked former Energy Minister Alhaji Kanja Sesay for being the pioneer of the project.

With the energy sector and the Feed Salone agenda being inextricably linked, reforms continue in the sector.