17 Comments
In a recent tweet, a member of the United States Foreign Relations Committee now explains how the outcome of the 2023 election violence and corruption continues to hinder progress towards the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), which aims to revamp Sierra Leone’s electricity sector and combat chronic blackouts.
In a tweet, Senators Jim Risch and R. Idaho said: “The MCC’s compact aims to revamp Sierra Leone’s electricity sector, combatting chronic blackouts. However, the 2023 election violence & corruption continue to hinder progress toward it. More must be done in order to solidify this compact.”
The urgency of the situation was highlighted by a severe blackout that plunged the capital, Freetown, into darkness due to the government’s excessive debt of over US$27 million owed to Karpowership, the primary electricity supplier. The partial suspension of operations by Karpowership further exacerbated the crisis.
BBC also reported that “Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, and other cities have been plunged into darkness for weeks, due to the non-payment of electricity bills to the power providers.”
They went on to state that this calamity has severely disrupted daily life, with operations disrupted in major hospitals.
Sierra Leone has been widely dependent on Karpowership to deliver most of its electricity supply in the capital, Freetown, and due to unpaid bills by the government the Turkish ship decided to shut down its supply by cutting down the mega wattage delivered.
BBC also lamented that “Karpowership, the Turkish ship which supplies most of Freetown’s power, has virtually switched off the lights over an unpaid bill of about $48m (£38m), despite repeated assurances by the finance minister to settle the debt.”
They also reported of the reduced wattage of CLSG supply to other areas in the country making the problem much worse for the government and the people of Sierra Leone.
“CLSG, an Ivorian power supplier, has also significantly reduced its supply to the south-eastern cities of Bo, Kenema and Koidu over unpaid arrears. it reduced its supply from 32 megawatts to 10. It is not clear how much the state owes it,” they outlined.
The Senate Relations Committee however thinks that the MCC compact would have been a bailout for the government and people of Sierra Leone had everything gone well and the country scored well in democratisation and other sovereign areas but due to the 2023 election violence and corruption continue to hinder the progress toward it. They think that more must be done in order to solidify this compact.
The US government thinks because the monkey has a black hand it cannot give it banana is a serious problem,african politicians can never change their habits,its only the poor that is at disadvantage.the politically rice can afford generator bills till the end of the year.
We are pleading , support we the masses please
Help us oh God.
When the good have done by papa Ernest some people said pa Ernest don’t do any thing to this Nation new let’s us enjoy the light
This is what we Sierra Leoneans get 4 allowing a rogue man like Maada Bio to steal our election and democracy.
MCC can still hold their money but we can’t give our rights to undeserved thugs. So the money is not meant for what you have but what they want to do. Election violence is been caused by the trencherous APC hooliganism now MCC wants to tag the payment on other’s behavior. Let this be known to MCC , All otherswho want regime change and APC battery of hooligans that the next election is scheduled for 2028. Other than that ANYONE WHO TRY ANYOTHER MEANS WILL BE TREATED ACCORDINGLY.
Those who are owning EDSA should pay their bills and stop raising false alarm.
It’s pity to still see gullible Sierra Leoneans lining themselves up, with these vindictive, lawless thugs, who wilfully and deliberately imposed themselves upon the people of Sierra Leone, largely due to the quasi- ineffective behaviour of the opposition in the country.
Had there been a competitive or competent opposition, who was willing to go down toe to toe with these heinous criminals, Bio & his henchmen would have never attempted this unconstitutional lawless behaviour.
The APC party I know of in the 60,s, 70’s, & 80’s, is not exactly, what seeing today. The APC party of today, is now headed by snitchters, bootlickers, betrayals, dangling modifiers, toothless like leadership, and cowards.
For the day the APC party shall rise up is the better. That would then immediately signal the end of lawless Bio hegemony & his bogus so-called imposter government.
So why has these once powerful APC party fail to rise up and met this defunct and dysfunctional SLPP party toe to toe?.
What’s the hidden secret?. So what has the APC party got on its sleeves?. What’s the APC failing to tell their grassroots supporters?.
It’s quite sad to see fellow Sierra Leoneans supporting the idea of the USA that imposes its sovereignty on Sierra Leone as if they were our God. It’s good to understand the hideous nature behind the situation and we come together as one people and not to blame anybody. They have been bold enough to make us understand that the past election was not in their favor and we should act like fools. Oh, I remember when the election happened undemocratically in 2016 in the USA and took Donald J. Trump to White House after which America and American didn’t complain about. I do agree that we should politically change the system but with whom?
God help us all
What we are going through to our country today because we are not thinking about creature so many bad things happen to our country let us pray to God will change our country again stop blaming people God knows d best my people
Say what you want to say but USA can’t support an illegal government… SLPP will not eat this one. Nor see wae deh make noise so as d US send this money jis nor deh dae tiff am all… Fly fly government…
We elected thieves to look over our coffers , and when they embezzle we wonder why. Bio and his cabal of thieves have failed us
MCC u hold their money never allow this corrupt government to put it in their pockets and wait until when we have a sober minded government that feel like the people of sierra Leone
Thieves
Sierra Leoneans, Sierra Leoneans, stop being aggressively against your own people. The problems of Sierra Leone is manipulation too much from foreigners and their policies against you all and your own properties. The leadership team that will solve Sierra Leone problems is the one who will say no to all hypocrites foreign policies and stands on your
own to build that country. How long England are in charge of the hydro electricity in bumbuna? Is Sierra Leone a camp or a great nation, to use car power ship 🚢 electricity? Power Ships electricity is meant to use temporary for exploring campus or high sea plants. The most stupid was the person that accepts such contract for the first time. No foreigners will help you to build a great Sierra Leone but exploits Sierra Leone and building their own countries. Now all Western countries pointing fingers to the present government that in power while they tend to forget that they are the cause of all that is happening in that beautiful nation. The damage had been caused long time. Not today. Immediate actions like Burkina Faso,Mali and Niger most be taken,
The problem in Salone is the lack of accountability. Salone cannot pay her bills, but yet people see government officials driving the most expensive cars in the world. Do you know how much the Mercedes benz Maybach that Bio is drivng cost? How about operational/maintenance cost without even electricity. If you’re spending the country’s money on unnecessary luxury, you won’t have any to pay your bills.
The last contributor wants to still blame the past government forgetting that Bio said he came to fix all that mess.
Oh God help us in this situation.
I am sure the “we are a sovereign nation” crowd is hoping for, and eyeing that money because, the sovereign nation that we are, we can’t pay bills. US, please hold on to that money. The illegitimate Bio government cannot manage it and it is for use to better the country, not so we can pay overdue, past bills and still end up in the same position six months after. And what kind of shame is this, foreign governments are talking about our blackout. Useless government. We live in darkness, but Bio stole and spent close to $200,000 of tax payers’ monry to buy a benz to go bluff at a school function.