The 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, Port Loko 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 provide additional resources for the wiring of over one hundred households in Kalangba Town, to add up to the one hundred and one households that have 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 the country, citing the Kalangba community mini grid expansion as an example of President Bio electricity expansion vision.
He stated over 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 facilities, educational facilities to enable school pupils to 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 is providing seventeen megawatts to the township.
The Market Development Manager, Power Leone Emmanuel Harding said his institution is operating 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) that provides funds to Power Leone. He announced 3669 as the customer care numbers to call for any assistance.
By: Aaron Bundu Lahai-Head of Media & Public Relations
