- Liberia Electricity Corporation has launched a €1.6 billion roadmap to modernise the grid, expand nationwide access, and deploy smart technologies.
- Managing Director Mohammed M. Sherif says the utility is moving from crisis management to investment-driven transformation.
Liberia’s electricity sector is preparing for its most ambitious transformation since the civil war. The Managing Director of the Liberia Electricity Corporation, Mohammed M. Sherif, unveiled a €1.6 billion investment roadmap at the Liberia–EU Business Forum in Brussels. He declared that the utility has moved beyond crisis stabilisation and now seeks long-term infrastructure partnerships.
Sherif told European investors that LEC stands ready for structured capital deployment. He said the proposed investment portfolio will expand generation, transmission, and distribution networks while strengthening infrastructure resilience. Therefore, the plan aims to shift Liberia from incremental recovery to systemic reform.
The roadmap rests on four pillars: digital transformation, governance reform, revenue recovery, and large-scale infrastructure expansion. Sherif stressed that LEC wants predictive maintenance rather than reactive crisis response. The corporation will deploy a modern Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system for the first time in its history.
The SCADA system will support a national dispatch centre and enable real-time grid monitoring. It will improve outage response and enhance operational visibility across the network. In addition, LEC will introduce smart automation tools and customer-facing digital platforms to reduce service bottlenecks.
The Government of Liberia has allocated $50 million in the national budget for smart metering. This marks the first such capital injection in post-war Liberia’s power sector. The rollout will reduce commercial losses and improve cost recovery, while anti-power theft operations have already led to 251 arrests.
Furthermore, Sherif acknowledged that LEC has struggled with public trust. He admitted that delays in meter installations and weak customer service eroded confidence. However, he pledged stronger board oversight and measurable performance benchmarks to restore accountability.
The reform agenda also targets nationwide electrification. Sherif rejected what he described as “pocket access” and committed to structured expansion aligned with national development compacts. LEC has already installed about 3,900 streetlights across Bong, Nimba, and Montserrado counties to improve safety and visibility.
Moreover, the utility plans to extend transmission infrastructure to central and northwestern Liberia. A proposed double-circuit 66kV line from Botota through Lofa County will strengthen grid stability and expand access to underserved communities. Some of these areas have lacked electricity for over four decades.
Hydropower expansion forms a core component of the strategy. Sherif highlighted the Mankoffa project on the St. John River as an intergenerational investment with potential output of up to 250 megawatts. Preliminary estimates place costs between €600 million and €620 million. He argued that stronger domestic base-load capacity will reduce reliance on imported electricity from Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea, shielding Liberia from regional supply shocks.
Sherif linked electricity expansion to economic growth. He pointed to the proposed Monrovia Industrial Park, which could require up to 85 megawatts of dedicated supply. He also emphasised electrifying agricultural hubs such as Lofa County to strengthen food security and regional trade.
The reform plan aligns with the European Union’s Global Gateway strategy and broader electrification targets. Sherif set a goal of reaching 75 per cent national electrification and invited development finance institutions and private investors to participate through public-private partnerships.
LEC was established in 1973 to provide affordable electricity nationwide. After the civil war, international partners such as the World Bank, the European Union, the African Development Bank, and USAID supported sector rehabilitation. The reopening of the Mount Coffee Hydropower Plant between 2016 and 2018 restored domestic hydro capacity and reduced dependence on costly thermal generation.
Today, LEC generates, imports, transmits, and distributes electricity across Liberia, while also participating in the West African Power Pool. Despite progress, the sector still faces high technical losses, ageing infrastructure, and capital constraints.
Under Sherif’s leadership, LEC now seeks to transition from crisis management to structured, investment-driven growth. He told investors that the corporation has a clear plan, a PPP framework, and measurable reform targets. His message remained consistent: Liberia intends to predict, plan, and deliver.