Sierra Leone Energy Minister Resigns Amid Electricity Crisis, Government Pays $18.5M to Restore Power

Sierra Leone's Energy Minister Kanja Sesay stepped down on Friday amid a weeks-long electricity crisis in the country. The government announced that it had paid $17 million of the $48 million owed to Turkish energy provider Karpowership, which supplies electricity to the capital Freetown. Karpowership had previously scaled down its electricity supply to Sierra Leone due to non-payment.

The government also paid $1.5 million to another electricity provider, TRANSCO-CLSG, which supplies the south and east of the country. Following these payments, Karpowership confirmed that full electricity supplies had been reinstated in Freetown after two months of outages.

In his resignation letter, Sesay took full responsibility for the electricity crisis. The government announced that the energy ministry would now fall under the direct supervision of President Julius Maada Bio, who will be assisted by two other officials.

Why this matters: The electricity crisis has caused significant problems in Sierra Leone, with hospitals struggling to cope and at least one infant death reported at the main children's hospital due to the lack of power. The country's reliance on Karpowership, one of the world's biggest floating power plant operators, highlights the challenges in accessing electricity in sub-Saharan Africa, where more than 50% of the population lacks grid connection.

As of 2021, only 27.5% of Sierra Leone's total population and 4.9% of the rural population have access to electricity. The country has a small power sector with less than 150 MW of energy capacity. Karpowership, which has been supplying electricity to Sierra Leone since 2018, plays a vital role but its operations have been complicated by the government's failure to pay outstanding bills of more than $40 million, leading to the recent power cuts.

Key Takeaways

• Sierra Leone's Energy Minister Kanja Sesay resigned amid electricity crisis.
• Govt paid $17M of $48M owed to Turkish provider Karpowership, restoring power.
• Electricity crisis caused problems, with an infant death reported at a hospital.
• Sierra Leone has low electricity access, with only 27.5% of population connected.
• Karpowership plays vital role, but operations complicated by govt's unpaid bills.