By Austine Luseni
Chairman Presidential Initiative on Food Security, Renewable Energy and Climate Change, Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, has briefed Energy Minister, Alhaji Dr. Kanja Sesay, on Sierra Leone’s success stories at COP28 and steps taken by his office to engage partners and to attract funding for a variety of energy projects in the country.
The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, more commonly known as COP28,was the 28th United Nations Climate Change conference, held from 30 November to 12 December at Expo City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
“The declaration we all supported at COP28 was the deployment of renewables globally. This we marketed heavily through bilateral engagements to see how we could position ourselves for funding possibilities,” Dr. Yumkella told the Minister, noting that engagements with organizations like the Accelerated Partnership for Renewables in Africa, Bezos, GIA and IRENA hold plenty in store in respect of tapping into the country’s existing and futute energy potentials.
He said follow-up actions and strategies were being taken or devised,with some technical teams already in the country for feasibility studies or other actions with the view to transforming or improving the country’s energy mix.
Dr. Yumkella concluded by saying that efforts towards renewables and other forms of energy were being strategically aligned with the government’s Big Five Agenda. He also highlighted the prospects of implementing Bumbuna II.
Energy Minister, Alhaji Dr. Kanja Sesay, thanked the Chairman for such a brilliant presentation, adding that with Dr. Yumkella’s rich experience in the renewable energy space, he was confident that his Ministry now had a reliable reference point for the development and implementation of energy-efficient projects.
Dr. Sesay said that the country’s energy sector was faced with challenges but that genuine efforts were being taken amid the challenges to scale up nationwide access to energy.
Deputy Minister of Energy, Dr. Eldred Taylor, also weighed in on the fruitful discussions.
With the energy sector and the Feed Salone agenda being inextricably linked, reforms continue in the sector.
