By: Aaron Bundu Lahai-Head of Media & Public Relations
Sierra Leone’s Vice President Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh has on Friday 16th August, 2024 commissioned a solar mini grid facility at Kalangba town, Lokomasama Chiefdom, Portloko District. About two hundred and fifty households, and businesses would benefit from reliable and affordable electricity supply from the solar mini grid. Dr Jalloh while commissioning the solar light commits to providing additional resources for the wiring of over one hundred households in Kalangba Town, to add up to the one hundred and one households that had already paid for the wiring of their houses. He explained that the reason for providing the additional resources for the wiring is to prevent the community people from engaging in illegal connection. The Vice President said that the project is part of the broader vision of President Bio to expand electricity access across Sierra Leone, citing the Kalangba community mini grid expansion as an example of President Bio’s electricity expansion vision.
He stated that one hundred and two communities across the country have now been connected to mini grids, furthering that the solar light installed in the Kalangba Township would provide electricity to charge mobile phones, healthcare and educational facilities to enable pupils study and benefit from the free quality education.
Vice President Jalloh admonished the people to own and protect the mini grid from illegal connections. He encouraged the community people to always call on the toll-free line for connection and other difficulties, in order to avoid conflict with the law. He informed the people that the solar electricity is provided by President Bio, and therefore joined the community people to thanked President Bio for the energy access to Kalangba Town.
Dr Eldred Taylor- Deputy Minister of Energy l disclosed plans to connect communities like Babara, Petifu, Kalangba Junction, Gbinti Section and others to the mini grid in Lokomasama Chiefdom between now to the end of 2024. He noted that the framework his ministry has with Power Leone has given them the opportunity to expand energy access to some of the communities. He further described the Power Leone framework as a result-based financing, meaning the power operator is going to be incentivised based on the number of connections they undertake in the community. He revealed that the Kalangba Mini Grid provides seventeen megawatts to the township.
The Market Development Manager of Power Leone, Emmanuel Harding said that his institution operates in fifty-three communities in Sierra Leone through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed with the Government of Sierra Leone in 2020. He told the gathering that Power Leone is presently developing seventeen sites on behalf of Government and the Universal Energy Facility (UEF) which provide funds to Power Leone. He announced 3669 as the customer care numbers to call for any assistance.