Before His Excellency Dr Julius Maada Bio assumed office in 2018, access to electricity was a huge challenge in various districts in the country with little improvement in rural electrification. With a whopping $400 million spent between 2007 and 2018, erratic and epileptic electricity distribution dwarfed the effort of the Koroma administration to achieve its sustainable energy objective, as the 120 megawatts provided in 10 years fell far below the intended target of 1,000MW promised in the Agenda for Prosperity.

Realising the deficiency in electricity distribution and laying a firm foundation for sustainable energy, the objective of the New Direction is to *“provide sufficient energy to all regions of the country to permit the continuous realization of the developmental goals of industry and the general population with specific actions to restore electricity supply to all district capitals; initiate a rural electrification programme that will supply electricity to all towns with a population exceeding 20,000, connect at least five villages and two towns in each district join the national grid or off-grid solar schemes”.

Access to reliable and sustainable energy, a Sustainable Development Goal, stimulates economic development and propels the livelihood transformation of people. The ongoing electricity commissioning reveals His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio’s desire to tackle the colonial-old energy challenges by expanding urban and rural electrification in Sierra Leone.

A critical assessment of the ongoing electricity expansion unravels improved access to electricity in major cities and district headquarter-towns through the CLSG and solar mini-grid projects. Today, cities, towns, and villages once in perpetual darkness currently enjoy uninterrupted electricity.

Undoubtedly, this is the biggest energy expansion the country has ever seen since independence. The Government’s effort to increase energy accessibility is visible nationwide. The unprecedented success in the energy sector is having a direct multiplier effect on several other sectors, which we will put into context in the ensuing paragraphs.

Improving Education
Perhaps the biggest beneficiaries of the improved energy access nationwide are pupils and students. Unlike previous years when students relied on locally prepared lamps (fehfeh lamp), which had long-term effects on the eyes, the new energy revolution will ameliorate the suffering of students and increase their study time, especially at night.

The joyous mood and expression of excitement among students, who, for hours, lined up in long queues waiting to greet and appreciate His Excellency the President on the occasion of the commissioning of the CLSG in Kono, is indicative that the project brings a sigh of relief. For a district like Kono with one of the worst public examination records in recent years, this new development will certainly serve as a game-changer, providing pupils and students with the extra zeal and motivation to spend more time on their schoolwork, particularly at dusk.

“This is a major milestone for our district. We were regarded as one of the darkest cities in the country but not anymore. We are excited that we have been taken off from the years of blackout and having to go to bed after 7pm. With the provision of uninterrupted electricity, we can now focus on our studies, spend time on our assignments and improve our performance in external exams,”* noted Fengai Morsay, a high school pupil wrapped with big smiles all over his face after the commissioning in Kono.

Boost for Local Entrepreneurs
Small-scale businesses are an important component of any state. In fact, they are described as the ‘engine’ of any economy considering their immense contribution to the economic growth and development of local communities. President Bio’s government has made frantic efforts to create a favourable environment for small-scale businesses to thrive, thereby providing jobs for locals and boosting the economy. In addition to the provision of direct cash support to small-scale entrepreneurs by the Government; the energy expansion in rural areas will reduce the perennial burden of relying on daily fuel purchases, preserve perishable local produce and products, increase produce market value and, of course, bolster growth.

Big mining companies and factories also sit among the beneficiaries of the energy expansion. For instance, a company that hitherto spends thousands of Dollars daily on fuel and other lubricants can now have access to cheap, sustainable and environmentally friendly electricity. The huge savings eventually can be used to create more jobs, improve the conditions of personnel, and support social services at the community level.

While the importance of energy expansion in Sierra Leone cannot be overemphasised, development partners are delighted with the tremendous transformation, thus committed to supporting His Excellency the President in his ongoing campaign to provide access to sustainable energy through the Millennium Challenge Cooperation’s Electricity Sector Reform Project (ESPR).