Members of Parliament on
Thursday 3rd December, 2015 ratified two loan agreements signed
between the Government of Sierra Leone and the African Development Fund (Cote
d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea (TRNANSCO CLSG) Electricity networks
inter-connection project), amounting to twenty million six hundred and five
thousand United State dollars ($20.605,000).
Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Dr. Kaifala Marah,
told lawmakers the objective of the project was to construct 1,357km long
double circuit voltage (225kv) line to connect the national networks of the
four Mano River Union countries, adding that the total cost of the power line
is estimated at US$447 million of which Sierra Leone's contribution would be
US$142million.
He said the project would help establish a dynamic electric
power market in the West Africa sub-region and secure regular power supply for
the participating countries, with a comparative advantage in importing power
instead of producing it at high cost using the national systems. He said the
project would augment the available electricity supply in the country which is
107mw.
Dr. Marah disclosed that the four countries have jointly entered
into an agreement with a regional transmission company known as TRANNSCO-CLSG
for the construction, operation and development of the CLSG inter connection
line, noting that the company would be charge with the responsibility of
implementation and management operations of the regional government electricity
project.
Hon. Jusufu B. Mansaray,
representing constituency 73 in Bo district, said huge sums of money had been
spent in the energy sector but many parts of the country are yet to have access
to energy, thus concluding that the energy sector has failed the people, while
the amount of money expended on the sector could have boosted other sectors.
He maintained that without solid foundation the electricity
sector would not be sustainable and that improved energy should not only
benefit the big urban cities but rural towns and villages as well because lack
of energy in rural fuels rural-urban migration.
Hon. Kaifala Conteh, representing constituency 98 in the Western
Area, said the 'Agenda for Prosperity' and the post-Ebola recovery strategy of
the country need sustainable energy. He said the agreement is timely as it
would help the country generate and sell energy to other countries and create
more jobs.
He opined that the project could also enhance tax collection as
more businesses will invest in the country and help the economy grow.
Source: AllAfrica
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