By Mariama Bundu
The Parliamentary Committee on Energy convened a high-level meeting at Committee Room 1 in Parliament on Monday 14th April 2025, to address pressing challenges within Sierra Leone’s energy sector.
The gathering brought together key sector stakeholders, including government ministers, board chairpersons, contractors, representatives of independent power producers (IPPs), and members of the Fourth Estate.
The meeting, described as one of the most comprehensive engagements in recent years, was chaired by Honourable Kekura Vandi, Chairman of the Parliamentary Energy Committee. In his opening remarks, Honourable Vandi emphasized the constitutional mandate of Parliament to provide oversight on all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). He expressed frustration over the lack of seriousness by some institutions in implementing previous parliamentary recommendations, noting that these oversights had contributed significantly to the current energy crisis.
“This is not the first time we are meeting. We’ve held multiple hearings in the past, but most of our recommendations have not been taken seriously. That negligence is part of the reason we are facing persistent challenges today,” said Honourable Vandi. He further warned that failure to comply with parliamentary summons would be considered contempt and stressed that this new Parliament would hold institutions accountable.
Representing the Executive branch, Honourable Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella, the Presidential Lead on Energy, acknowledged the complexity of Sierra Leone’s energy landscape. Speaking on behalf of His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio, who currently serves as the acting Minister of Energy, Yumkella outlined the government’s vision for energy reforms.
“We are committed to adding a megawatt of generation capacity and overhauling our transmission and distribution infrastructure within the next ten years,” Yumkella stated. “We aim to increase access to electricity from 36% to 80% by 2030 and reduce dependence on costly emergency and fossil-based power in favour of renewable energy sources.”
He further highlighted five key transitions: moving from emergency to sustainable power, shifting from fossil fuels to renewables, expanding electricity access, making utilities financially viable, and investing in energy infrastructure “Today, our total installed capacity is just 277 megawatts barely enough for a large airport in some countries,” he noted. “Freetown alone recently ran on just 57 megawatts.”
Andrew Keilli, Chairman of the Board of Directors at the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA), gave a candid assessment of the utility’s current status. He admitted to deep-rooted issues, including high technical and commercial losses, underfunded infrastructure, and staffing inefficiencies.
“We lose about 50-60% of the power we generate due to both technical constraints and theft,” Keilli said. “We need $50 million to address these issues, but funding has been slow and inconsistent.”
He also called for urgent reforms within EDSA’s staffing structure and better enforcement of electricity theft laws. “Everyone steals power from small households to big commercial entities. The Electricity Act is weak and outdated. We need legal reforms, including a special EDSA court to handle energy-related crimes effectively,” Keilli stressed.
Deputy Minister 1 of Energy, Edmond Nonie, also made a detailed presentation on the sector’s challenges and proposed solutions. The content of his presentation reportedly included strategic plans to attract investment, improve operational efficiency, and enhance governance in the sector.
The two-day hearing continues on Tuesday, with further questioning of stakeholders based on their updates and involvement in the sector.
