While Parliament was being briefed this week by Hon. Alhaji Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella about Sierra Leone’s bold ambitions to achieve 80% electricity access by 2030 under the so-called Mission 300 Compact, ordinary Sierra Leoneans across the country were sitting in darkness—yet again.
Let us be clear: the idea of Mission 300—an initiative supported by the World Bank and African Development Bank to expand electricity access to 300 million Africans—is admirable. But for Sierra Leone, a country of just over 7 million people, where even the capital city struggles to get 30% reliable power coverage, it sounds less like a roadmap and more like a public relations fantasy.
For far too long, successive governments have promised light but delivered shadows. Today, under the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) government, the situation has not only failed to improve—it has gotten worse. Despite billions of leones and millions of dollars pumped into the energy sector, blackouts remain the daily norm, even in Freetown, let alone provincial towns and rural areas. Businesses are bleeding. Hospitals are left without power. Students are forced to read by candlelight. And families must choose between food and fuel for small generators.
This is not the energy future Sierra Leoneans were promised.
The SLPP government campaigned on the back of energy reforms and made bold commitments to stabilize and expand electricity access. Yet, what we see today is a steady reversal of progress. The few gains made under the previous administration—such as expansion of thermal and solar mini-grids—have been left to rot. Contracts have stalled. Projects remain incomplete. And the national electricity distribution network is in shambles.
Now, we are told to trust in a 2030 target while 2025 is already halfway gone with no consistent power supply in sight. Citizens are not asking for miracles—they are asking for the basics. And after nearly six years in office, the current administration can no longer use excuses. The public deserves accountability, not more speeches. It deserves results, not more promises.
Yes, energy reform is complex. Yes, infrastructure takes time. But what excuse explains the lack of political will, the disorder in implementation, and the disconnection between government priorities and citizens’ realities?
It is time we stopped treating electricity like a privilege. In today’s world, power is a right—a cornerstone of any nation’s development. Sierra Leoneans are not asking for 24-hour electricity for 100% of the population overnight. But in a country with vast hydro and solar potential, it is disgraceful that we cannot guarantee even 12 hours of consistent power in the capital.
Mission 300? Let’s first accomplish Mission 30—30% reliable electricity for Freetown. Then, and only then, should we talk about 2030.
The government must wake up. Words no longer suffice. It’s time for real light—or the people will remember the darkness when they go to the polls.
