By Ibrahim S. Bangura
The Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA), on Thursday, August 1, 2024, launched a free meter upgrading initiative in Freetown to ensure effective use of the meters in Sierra Leone.
The launch was attended by Eldred Taylor, Deputy Minister of Energy; and Director General of EDSA, Joe Lahai Ansumana, among others.
It was discussed that customers could continue to get their normal tokens for the upgrade process through QCell, Orange, and Africell, respectively as well as from other authorized aggregators such as Vendtech, Mercy Holdings, Lynx Solutions, Dycar, and at EDSA offices.
According to Sarah Kamara, head of EDSA customer call center, they are upgrading the system from Standard Transfer Specification (STS) 1 to STS 2. She stated that if customers did not upgrade their meters, they won’t be able to use their prepaid meters again. “So, we are asking our valuable customers to help us with this process by purchasing the normal credits they used to buy for their meters. We will give them 60 digits codes which they will enter into the meters by 20 digits each entering. When you enter the first 20 digits, you will wait for a few seconds before attempting the other two sets of the 20 digits. This upgrading process is ending on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. The process is free. For any challenges regarding the upgrading process, you can contact 672 or contact this WhatsApp number +23277672672,” she said.
Taylor explained that some meters, specifically Apator and Momas models, are not compatible with the new token system. The Minister said that EDSA would be prioritizing the replacement of those incompatible meters at free of cost. He stated, “Those with these incompatible meters should visit EDSA offices nationwide for assistance. Our study shows that approximately 80 to 90 percent of EDSA meters are compatible with the TID rollover upgrade.”
Director General of EDSA, Joe Lahai Ansumana, said that the upgrading prepaid meters are to ensure that people use their EDSA meters effectively.
He restated, “The meter upgrade process is completely free of charge. For further assistance, customers can call 672 from any network or send a WhatsApp message to 076672672 for support.”