- Energy Minister Kanja Sesay resigns amidst persistent electricity crisis, accepting full responsibility in the resignation letter.
- The government announced partial payments of $18.5 million to Turkish Karpowership and Transco-CLSG group, with $17 million allocated to Karpowership for Freetown’s electricity supply.
- President Bio directly oversees the energy ministry, responding to crises with proactive measures to address longstanding issues in Sierra Leone’s energy sector.
Sierra Leone’s Energy Minister, Kanja Sesay, resigned on Friday, April 26, amidst a persistent electricity crisis. This resignation coincided with the government’s announcement of partial payments towards its outstanding debts to energy providers.
Sesay, in his resignation letter, accepted full responsibility for the crisis. The President’s office subsequently declared that the energy ministry would now operate under the direct oversight of President Julius Maada Bio.
The resignation followed the government’s disclosure of payments totalling $18.5 million to two major power providers, Turkish Karpowership and Transco-CLSG group. Of this amount, $17 million was allocated to Karpowership, which supplies electricity to the capital city of Freetown.
Following this payment, the company confirmed restoring the full electricity supply to Freetown, which had endured two months of outages.
Karpowership’s involvement in Sierra Leone’s energy sector dates back to 2018, when it commenced supplying electricity from a floating offshore unit. However, due to payment issues, its capacity has dwindled from 65 megawatts to merely five in recent months.
The company repeatedly highlighted outstanding debts, amounting to $48 million, which culminated in reduced supply and blackouts affecting Freetown and other major cities like Bo, Kenema, and Koidu.
The situation escalated in April when Karpowership, owed $48 million by the Sierra Leonean government, downsized its supply to six megawatts, citing prolonged non-payment. The resultant power shortages severely impacted essential services, with hospitals struggling to function amid reports of fatalities, including an infant at the main children’s hospital.
In September of the preceding year, Freetown experienced another blackout when Karpowership suspended its services over an outstanding debt of approximately $40 million. Such interruptions had prompted widespread public outcry, with citizens expressing frustration on social media platforms.
In light of recent developments, the government’s efforts to address the crisis included paying $1.5 million to TRANSCO-CLSG, another electricity provider catering to the southern and eastern regions of Sierra Leone. However, the exact reasons behind Sesay’s resignation remain unclear, as the announcement coincided with the payment disclosures.
In response to the crisis, President Bio has assumed direct oversight of the energy ministry, signalling a proactive approach to mitigate further disruptions and address the underlying issues plaguing Sierra Leone’s energy sector.