Residents of Kambia district are poised to benefit from the construction of Minigrids to enhance energy access in the community. The Minigrids are funded by the Universal Energy Access Facility (UEF) and managed by the Vienna-based Sustainable Energy for All program (SEforALL).
The event is part of a series of stakeholder and community discussions held by PowerLeone – the project developer. The primary focus of the meeting was for community stakeholders to review the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s environmental impact assessment for mini-grids in four locations: Kasiri, Rowollon Macoth, Bamoi Makassa, and Kukuna.
Among the stakeholders was Hon. Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella, Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Food Security (PI-CREF). The Kambia native joined the elders of the district today to support PowerLeone (EnergyCity) in the public disclosure process for the development of the community mini-grids.
Given his strong relationship with SEforALL – an organization he helped to establish as the founding CEO and former UN Under-Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All, Hon. Dr. Yumkella has played a pivotal role in ensuring countries are capacitated to achieve SDG-7.
According to PowerLeone, Yumkella’s presence was therefore “necessary to enhance the credibility and effectiveness of the meeting and process.”
Dr. Yumkella underscored the importance of access to sustainable, reliable and affordable energy for the people and in particular for productive uses.
The community disclosure meeting covered the construction work program for the mini-grids, slated for completion in 2024, as well as tariff and payment issues, and strategies to mitigate negative environmental impacts.
This initiative represents a significant step forward in providing sustainable energy solutions and improving the quality of life for the residents of these districts.
Over the next two years, PowerLeone plans to build a total of 17 new mini-grids in Port Loko and Moyamba District including Kambia. Community disclosure meetings have already been held in Moyamba and Port Loko districts over the past week.