ECA-supported report on Sierra Leone energy policy ready for review

By Yinka Adeyemi, Communication Officer,SDD, ECA
07 June 2004

A draft report on an energy policy for Sierra Leone has been completed and will undergo critical review, the Director of Sustainable Development Division (SDD), Josue Dione, said.

In a message to potential reviewers, Dione said the objectives of the study were to ascertain the availability, potential and demand of the various energy resources in Sierra Leone; increase access to modern, affordable and reliable energy services; improve governance of the energy sector; stimulate economic development and manage energy-related environmental impacts.

The study, sponsored by ECA, therefore looks into key energy issues in Sierra Leone energy sector, including conservation, regulation, energy demand, energy supply, rural energy and institutional capacity.

It concludes that although Sierra Leone is "reasonably well endowed" with energy resources - biomass, hydroelectricity and renewable sources like solar energy - the country faces difficulties with commercial energy supplies and imports all of its petroleum fuels requirement.

The study describes Sierra Leone as "energy poor", citing low levels of consumption of modern energy forms, inadequacy and poor quality of electricity services and the dominant reliance on wood fuel sources.

Sierra Leone is a country of 5.6 million people with a current per capita GDP of $160. The economy is dominated by subsistence agriculture (44.1%), followed by industry (24.4%) and services (27.1%).

The country is recovering from a 10-year war which hampered economic growth and caused serious social disorders. Poverty is pervasive, life expectancy low (39 years) and illiteracy rate is high at 67%, the report says.

Click here for full draft report