The government of Sierra Leone has announced that it had paid some amount of backlog debts it owed the Turkish Karpowership to the tune of Us$ 17m , this is to reduce part of an outstanding financial obligations it owed electricity ship that had shot down its electricity supply to the city , Freetown , for weeks now and , this has caused massive power outages across the city .
A statement from the ministry of finance said the energy ministry has resolved the issue with Karpowership for the resumption of electricity supply to Freetown.
In addition, the Govenment said it had also transferred US$ 1.5m to TRANSCO-CLSG to ensure continued power supply from Cote D’lvoire. This also means that some parts of the provincial headquarter towns will enjoy some semblance of electricity supply .
These developments came after the Ministry of Finance in collaboration with the ministry of Energy and Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA) engaged the management of the Karpowership to resolve the current energy challenge in Freetown in particular.
According to the statement the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Energy and EDSA will further engage with the respective independent Power Producers (IPPs) to renegotiate the current contracts to sustainable and reliable energy supply.
The general public was further informed that the Ministry of Finance will deepen engagement with the Ministry of Energy and EDSA to roll out reforms that will ensure the financial viability of the Energy Sector.
Prior to these developments, Alhaji Ibrahim Kanka Sesay , Minister of Energy on Friday 26th April 2024 on the eve of the Sierra Leone 63 Independence anniversary resigned his post as the minister of Energy . A statement from the presidentโs office said his two deputies will continue to serve in their posts will President Bio will serve as Minister of Energy tentatively until a new minister is installed.
This comes after electricity crisis in the country continues to cause public out cry .
The reasons for Sesayโs resignation has not been made public but according to sources, he (sesay )believes that was being undermined by the Ministry of Finance over the payment of the over US$40 million debt to the Turkish Karpowership.
Kanja Sesay who happened to be the right-hand man of His Excellency Julius Maada Bio was appointed in 2018 to take over the countryโs energy sector and his first major intervention to address the energy situation was to sign a contract with the Turkish Karpowership, an agreement that he said was saving the government US$18 million and negotiated in the interest of the country.
He is said to be the longest-serving Energy Minister in recent times and his departure leaves the country in deep mess and massive power outages as the country is still faced with an energy crisis that recently caused the death of a baby at one of the biggest referral hospitals in the capital, Freetown.
President Bio about a week ago reportedly gave an ultimatum that he would personally take over the energy sector if the ongoing energy crisis is not addressed.
President Bio will now put the Energy Ministry under his office with direct supervision to address the prolonged power outage. This he has done already .
However, Karpowership, the leading electricity provider in Sierra Leone has in a press release dated 26th April 2024 announced the restoration of full electricity supply to the capital city of Freetown.
“We are pleased to confirm that the power to supply at full capacity to Sierra Leone has been restored following a brief period of low production,” the statement reads.
The Karpowership further Acknowledges the government’s efforts and continuous communication to resolve fuel payments and supply chain issues.
These efforts facilitated the swift restart of operations, ensuring uninterrupted electricity supply to the people of Sierra Leone.
Karpowership has since 2018 been a proud partner to Sierra Leone, providing reliable energy generation through its innovative Powership technology.
This restoration of full electricity capacity signifies a significant milestone in ensuring reliable and uninterrupted power supply for the citizens of Freetown, supporting daily activities and economic growth across the capital city.
