Internal Affairs Minister, Rtd. AIG Morie Lengor Esq., Tuesday 29th April 2025, engaged key Stakeholders including the National Fire Force, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Sierra Leone Standards Bureau, the Office of National Security (ONS) and the Customs Department of the National Revenue Authority (NRA) to discuss the importation of Substandard Electrical Materials and proffer solutions.
This comes amid the growing fears of widespread fire incidents, mostly attributed to substandard electrical materials in the country.
Minister Lengor Esq., in his opening remarks, said there has been an increased number of fire outbreaks in the country, particularly in the capital city Freetown, which is due to the impact of substandard electrical materials, an issue of national and security concern, which also requires robust action. He noted that his Ministry’s key role is to maintain the internal security and safety of the country, the reason he convened the meeting.
He stated that the meeting also stems from findings from the Chief Fire Officer of the National Fire Force, that most of the fire incidents in the country are caused by substandard electrical materials.
According to Nazir Alie Kamanda Bongay, Chief Fire Officer of the National Fire Force, the NFF has fought so many fire incidents mostly resulting from the use of substandard electrical materials.
He said the country, particularly Freetown the capital city, has been facing issues with substandard electrical materials, and highlighted the challenges with electrical infrastructure, the use of low – quality materials in construction and the overloading of an electrical circuit – using multiple appliances on one circuit, faulty wiring and voltage spikes, among others.
Concluding, the meeting agreed that the Standards Bureau and the Ministry of Trade and Industry should take the lead in the drive, focusing on strengthening standards, with a timeline in enforcing regulations, adding that they should also come up with a public notice detailing the description and the differences between Standard and substandard electrical materials, and to also agree on standards for electrical materials to be imported into Sierra Leone, for the safety and security of citizens.
