By Austine Luseni, Communications Specialist – Ministry of Energy
Conference Room, Ministry of Energy, Freetown, Thursday, October 15, 2026 – The Minister of Energy, Hon. Cyril Grant, convened an emergency meeting with the leadership of the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA), the Electricity Generation and Transmission Company (EGTC), and senior management of the Ministry of Energy to address the intermittent electricity supply affecting the Western Area.
The meeting, held in the Conference Room of the Ministry of Energy, was convened in response to growing public concern over frequent outages that have left several communities without power for extended periods.
In his remarks, Minister Grant called on management at all levels to take full ownership of their responsibilities. He raised concern over apparent load-shedding in certain areas, and over prolonged outages caused by basic, preventable faults such as fallen poles and burnt cables. Such faults, he stressed, should be resolved within hours, not days.
The Minister also expressed particular concern over EDSA’s inadequate communication with the public during extended outages.
Minister Grant identified gaps in coordination and accountability within the institutions, noting that customers continue to be inconvenienced by minor technical issues that could be prevented through regular supervision and prompt response. He directed heads of units to ensure that their teams work diligently and remain fully accountable for service delivery.
The meeting also provided a forum for frank discussion of the underlying challenges facing the sector.
Responding to the concerns raised, EDSA’s Head of Distribution and Technical Services, Ing. Chernoh Jalloh, highlighted the significant pressure on the existing network.
He explained that many transformers are overloaded, and that the rapid growth of new communities across the Western Area has driven a sharp rise in electricity demand that now exceeds current network capacity.
Ing. Jalloh assured the Minister that several major projects currently underway will substantially improve the situation. These include:
– The Peninsula–Waterloo transmission line, funded by the Government of Japan through JICA, which is expected to significantly stabilise the network upon completion;
– The Energy Sector Utility Reform Project (ESLEAP), funded by the World Bank; and
– The NANT 108MW Generation Project currentlyscheduled for 1st commisioning in Q1, 2027
– The Innovent 40MW Solar Generation Project in Benguema, scheduled for completion in January 2027
These will markedly improve the reliability and stability of supply for residents of the Western Area and beyond.
The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment from all parties to work collaboratively to resolve the immediate challenges, while accelerating the long-term interventions needed to deliver reliable electricity across all service areas.
