Sierra Leone: Energy Minister Resigns Over Electricity Crisis

Sierra Leone’s Minister for Energy Alhaji Kanja Sesay has resigned due to electricity crisis in the West African nation.

Having accepted responsibility for the energy crisis, he tendered his resignation letter on Friday.

Turkish power company – Karpowership – has been supplying power to the country.

However, Sierra Leone appears not to be paying promptly for the electricity supply, resulting in accumulated debts.

In September 2023, Karpowership switched off power supply to Freetown, the capital, over unpaid debt of about $40 million.

Following the resignation of Alhaji Kanja Sesay on Friday, the office of the President, Julius Maada Bio, later announced that it had paid $17 million of the US$48 million owed to Karpowership, which provides electricity to Freetown.

A spokesman for the company confirmed the payment and said full electricity supplies had been restored to the capital.

“We are pleased to confirm that the power supply at full capacity to Sierra Leone has been restored,” the company said in a statement.

Since mid-April, Freetown and the cities of Bo, Kenema and Koidu have experienced multi-day stretches without electricity.

At that time, it said it had not received payment from the government of Sierra Leone for “a protracted period” and was therefore unable to pay fuel suppliers on behalf of the West African country.

According to the office of President Maada Bio, the energy ministry would fall under the direct supervision of the president.

Source: https://energynewsafrica.com