Residents and government officials in the Western Area District of Sierra Leone are expressing growing frustration over frequent and prolonged power outages.

These blackouts have disrupted daily life, affected businesses, and even contributed to an increase in crime.

Manso Dumbuya, Chairman of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) in the District joined residents in criticizing the Electricity, Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA) for its failure to address the issue. Many speculate that a faulty transformer is the root cause of the problem, but despite numerous reports to EDSA, no action has been taken.

Residents in the Allen Town community have been particularly hard hit by the blackouts. Alhaji Bah, a local businessman, expressed his anger and frustration, stating that the lack of electricity has damaged his business and that EDSA has been playing games with the community’s power supply.

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“Come and fix our transformer. Our businesses have been damaged due to lack of electricity in the area,” Bah decried.

The outages have also led to a surge in crime. Isata Kargbo, a resident of Allen Town, recounted a recent incident where armed robbers took advantage of the blackout to break into her home and steal valuable items. She emphasized that the rampant thievery in the area is directly linked to the frequent power cuts.

“Thieves went into my house, they passed through the roof, entered and cleared my daughter’s school materials, and carted away with some huge sum of money I had kept for my children’s fees,” she lamented.

Residents are calling on the authorities to take immediate action to resolve the issue and ensure a reliable and consistent power supply.