Deputy Energy Minister I Signs Implementation Agreement with Delagua Group,Says Cook Stoves will Positively Impact Rural Livelihoods
Austine Luseni
Communications Specialist
Ministry of Energy
Contact:077377042/034157390
Ministry of Energy,Freetown,Wednesday August 7,2024—- Deputy Minister of Energy l,Dr. Eldred Taylor,has signed an Implementation Agreement with Delagua Group for the supply of thousands of cook stoves aimed at improving the livelihoods of rural communities by providing women and children a better means of cooking while eliminating or reducing health hazards associated with the kitchen.
“This is a development that is very much exciting to the Ministry of Energy,particularly when we consider the kind of benefits that our people in the rural areas are going to have,” Dr. Taylor said,adding that he felt very pleased a fortnight ago when the said proposal or agreement received huge attention,support and approval at Cabinet.
He said Cabinet had however proffered recommendations with respect to the local content market aspect,noting that he had assured the highest decision making body of strides to improve the country’s local production capacity.
Dr. Taylor thanked Delagua Group for the partnership and praised the former Minister of Energy, Alhaji Dr Kanja Sesay, for playing a great role in realizing the vision of President Julius Maada Bio with respect to the project.
“We look forward to this kind of continued partnership and we want to also work very closely with you especially when we are expecting the second consignment of cooking stoves,” he noted.
Chief Operating Officer of Delagua Group,Euan McDougall,thanked the Government of Sierra Leone for supporting the initiative,noting that the project would provide women and children a better means of cooking.
“We are working very closely with a large institutional investor and we hope to sign an agreement in the next few weeks to allow a further 220,000 stoves to arrive into Sierra Leone and be distributed free of charge to the rural communities across the country,” he said.
With the energy sector and the Feed Salone agenda being inextricably linked,reforms continue in the sector.
