Sierra Leone is grappling with a nearly $100 million electricity debt, with roughly $50 million owed to Turkish power provider Karpowership, the country’s energy minister said on Tuesday.
In an interview with local television, Energy Minister Cyril Arnold Grant said the outstanding liabilities are undermining efforts to provide reliable power across the West African nation. Alongside the amount owed to Karpowership, the government also owes about $20 million to another foreign supplier, as well as arrears to solar energy companies and to neighbouring Guinea for electricity imports. 
Grant acknowledged that the debt burden has limited Sierra Leone’s ability to deliver uninterrupted 24‑hour electricity to its estimated eight million residents, noting that sustained nationwide power remains unfeasible without significant resources, including domestic oil discoveries the country does not yet have. 
The ministry is pursuing solutions, he said, but stressed that public funds alone are insufficient to resolve the crisis. Grant called for increased private sector investment and said the government is focused on improving revenue collection and reducing losses within the sector. 
Karpowership, which supplies a substantial portion of Sierra Leone’s electricity via floating power plants, has previously reduced output amid payment delays, raising concerns about the stability of the country’s power grid. 
