By Austine Luseni
Hon Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh has stressed that one of the priorities of the government in the energy sector is to improve the sector’s financial and technical viability against the backdrop of a challenging economic situation.
Dr. Jalloh was speaking at an engagement with stakeholders in the sector where he said that just as government was not shying away from keeping the social tariff structure, EDSA was equally under obligation to improve its financial gains by reducing commercial and technical losses.
He gave a comprehensive update on the need to honour the country’s commitment to CI energy and CLSG as it is vital to accessing competitive pricing. He informed that he will be leading a delegation of Ministers and technical staff to Abidjan and Accra to engage authorities in those countries to maintain previous energy load level while at the same time exploring new avenues to increase imported power.
The Vice President also made mention of the urgent need to power big businesses including mining companies to increase the finances of EDSA to enable the utility meet its energy invoices.
On the issue of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, MCC, he said news of the Compact was coming at a critically important time for the country’s energy sector, noting that there was now a practicable calendar to inform and guide the implementation of the Compact subject to Congressional approval.
Dr. Jalloh said private sector participation had driven the implementation of the $44 million threshold program and negotiations for the Compact, adding that such private sector participation was now evident in the areas of generation and commercialization.
Deputy Energy Minister I, Dr. Eldred Taylor, thanked Vice President Jalloh for sharing his experience and for playing a key role in the CI Energies power purchase agreement.
With the energy sector and the ‘Feed Salone’ agenda being inextricably linked, reforms continue in the sector.
