Festive lights flickered out in Sierra Leone’s capital, plunging residents into darkness and frustration as the new year dawned. Freetown, grappling with chronic power cuts, faced its worst blackout yet disrupting holiday celebrations and daily routines.

For many, the electricity outage was a grim reminder of an old adversary. But this time, the darkness felt deeper, the frustration sharper. With no light for cooking, studying, or work, the blackout cast a shadow over the holiday spirit.

“BLACK OUT everywhere on New Year’s Eve! Even with the high tariff, EDSA cannot provide reliable electricity. There has been no light in my community for almost 72 hours now.” Journalist Murtala Mohamed Kamara lamented on Facebook, echoing the sentiments of many.

Social media platforms buzzed with residents expressing their exasperation. “For cross over to a new year with such black out nor correct. We don pray make di blackout nor overwhelm d nation spiritually, IJN!.” John Konteh, another media personality wrote while expressing his frustration with the situation.

The Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA) has been trending on Twitter (X) with more Sierra Leoneans expressing their plight with the situation.

“EDSA choose to give us blackout a whole holiday😭😭” Unusual Sia🔱🦁🎙🇸🇱 with the username @SataSiaKebbie said.

Sierra Leone was recently ranked among the top African countries with a high cost of electricity, according to a recent report by Business Insider Africa.

The report, which is based on data from March 2023, places Sierra Leone at number 10 in Africa and number 65 in the world, with an electricity price of $0.155 per kilowatt-hour.

The report is compiled by the Global Petrol Prices, a platform that publishes up-to-date information on retail energy prices around the world including motor fuel prices, electricity prices, and natural gas prices.

Although the report is based on data from March 2023, Sierra Leone has doubled prices of electricity tariffs since August. Despite the increase, the country still grapples with epileptic electricity supply.