General Manager meets New Sierra Leone Minister of Energy

Thursday, August 30, 2018: The General Manager, accompanied by his Director of Finance and Administration, Josephus Jigba Yilla and Country Manager, Paul Saffa on Thursday, August 30, 2018, paid a high-level courtesy call on Minister Kanja Sesay, Minister of Energy of Sierra Leone.

During the meeting, the General Manager updated the new Minister on the CLSG interconnection project status across Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

Mr. Mohammed M. Sherif thanked the Government and people of Sierra Leone for their unwavering support to the CLSG project. He was very grateful to the government for the timely passage of the financing agreement which has boost the CLSG project implementation in the country.

The Parliament of Sierra Leone on Tuesday 10th July 2018 debated and ratified a $59 Million financing agreement aimed at improving access to electricity supply at a reasonable cost, through an integrated power-grid widely known as the West African Power Pool project.

During the ratification debate, the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu recalled that he had played a role in the light of the Agreement when he served in the capacity as Executive Secretary to ECOWAS, adding that he felt personally gratified towards the integrated regional approach with the view of solving energy related challenges, cognizant of the overall objective of ECOWAS aiming at the free movement of people and goods.

In response, Minister Sesay said the government of Sierra Leone is fully in support of the CLSG project, adding that his country’s need for electricity has even increased with the coming of the reliable and affordable electricity. “We will be asking for more power supply,” the Minister revealed.

He reiterated that government’s unwavering support to the project is certain and that Sierra Leone looks to maintaining a cordial relationship with TRANSCO CLSG in providing the electricity to millions of Sierra Leoneans.

According to Minister Sesay, because of the CLSG interconnection project, the government of Sierra Leone is hesitant to make long term commitment with other energy project which will incur high tariff. “The CLSG project is in our own interest so we have to move it very fast.”

The meeting was attended by the Permanent Secretary Energy, Morie Momoh, the deputy minister of energy, Dr. Eldred Taylor, and the Emmanuel Junisa, Deputy Secretary of Energy and the Project Coordinator of Bumbuna ll project, Cyril Grant.