AYV News, October 17, 2025
Sierra Leone’s Energy Sector Lead, Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, has sounded upbeat about the country’s transformative drive in the energy sector, assuring that January 2026 will signal the beginning of the real energy revolution across the country.
Dr. Yumkella was providing an update on the energy sector,with particular emphasis on Mission 300, to Members of Parliament drawn from the Sierra Leone People’s Party(SLPP), and the All People’s Congress (APC) Party.
He said there has been a quantum leap in installed capacity,noting that the total installed capacity of 97MW between 2018 and 2019 has now been increased by 75MW.
“Today, we have added about 5MW from over 100 mini grids across the country. The Seven Districts Electrification Project accounts for 14MW, while Makoth, Serengenti, and Kono account for 25MW, 5MW and 10MW in that order. We also buy about 37MW from Guinea and the Ivory Coast”, he informed the bipartisan House.
The Energy Sector Lead said these improvements only constitute a tip of the iceberg because January 2026 will herald the start of the real or true energy revolution in the country.
“Between January and December 2026, we are confident of adding about 185MW to the country’s generation capacity”, Dr Yumkella said, adding that Lungi, Newton, Scatec, Nant,and the repaired machines at Kingtom and Blackhall Road will all account for sources of generation of the 185 additional megawatt.
The Energy Sector Lead informed the House that the energy transformation will be painstaking and time but assured that the completion of all the projects will help the country astronomically increase its energy access rate.
He said the country was making strides in the area of providing and increasing access to clean cooking solutions from the dismal 1.5 % to an impressive 25%, noting that his Ministry was bending over backwards in courting investors and donor partners to the sector.
He appealed to members to talk patriotism into their constituents with a view to helping reverse or totally eliminate the worrying trend of vandalism of electricity installations and illegal abstractions.
“The Mission 300 will leave no one behind. We will roll outlife-changing energy projects. We need affordable, reliable,and sustainable energy, and on behalf of His Excellency, I assure you that we will lay a foundation or have a trajectory that will be difficult or totally impossible to reverse”, he concluded.
With the energy sector and the Feed Salone agenda being inextricably linked, reforms continue in the sector.
