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Professor Kelleh Gbawuru Mansaray, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Fourah Bay College, led Sierra Leone’s participation in the Circular Economy Powered Renewable Energy Centre (CEPREC) kick-off meeting in the UK.
The event, held from March 24-28, 2025, brought together experts from the UK and six African nations, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, and Nigeria, to help power Africa’s transition to sustainable energy through research and development.
Discussions at the weeklong meeting focused on implementing circular microgrids, addressing energy storage challenges, and strengthening collaborations with governments and private sector stakeholders. The team, based in Warwick, also visited Chatham House for high-level talks with African High Commissioners on developing and strengthening policy frameworks for sustainable energy.
Professor Kelleh Gbawuru Mansaray emphasized CEPREC’s role in training local energy professionals, fostering clean energy innovation, and creating policy frameworks to accelerate Sierra Leone’s energy transition.
“By integrating circular economy principles, we are paving the way for sustainable and inclusive energy access that supports economic transformation and community resilience,” he underlined.
He also added that Sierra Leone’s participation in this collaborative multi-sectoral research, capacity-building, and policy-driven initiative is a testament to its commitment to leveraging circular economy principles to support Africa’s energy transition.
President Bio’s vision of pursuing durable solutions to enduring national challenges is reflected in Sierra Leone’s active role in the development and deployment of clean energy technologies, an initiative that aims to set a new benchmark for sustainable energy solutions and expand affordable energy access across Africa, including in Sierra Leone. He explained.
CEPREC, a UK-funded multi-million-dollar initiative, brings together leading institutions such as De Montfort University, the University of Warwick, and Chatham House (UK), alongside African universities and industry partners.
Its objective is to integrate circular economy principles into renewable microgrid technologies, fostering innovative energy solutions for the continent. In the words of Professor Muyiwa Oyinlola, Professor of Innovation for Sustainable Development at De Montfort University, “CEPREC is set to transform the way we think about waste, turning it into opportunity”.
Energy access remains a critical global development issue, particularly for many countries in the developing world.
