The Minister of Energy Alhaji Kanja Sesay is working in the true spirit and letter of the New Direction government’s goal of providing the people of Sierra Leone with improved service delivery. The sincerity of intent and purpose of public officials can be easily discerned in their words and actions. In which vein, it is now 100 percent evident to citizens of Sierra Leone.
No doubt, electricity theft and non-payment of electricity bills by households and businesses have for far too long been the main cause of poor levels of investments in the sector and the frequent electricity blackouts suffered across the country.
Electricity theft is a widespread problem across the world, especially in many emerging market countries. It can be recalled that in December 2016, Government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Energy formed and launched an Electricity Offence Committee in order to tackle the rate and spate of electricity theft in the country.
The Committee was formed and launched at the Conference Room of the Ministry of Justice on Lamina Sankoh Street in Freetown. It comprised officials from the Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Office of National Security (ONS), Electricity Contractors Association, EDSA, Director of Public Prosecution, among others.
Strangely, the Ministry of Energy earlier in September 2016 moved to terminate the contract of PEC, a company that exposed lots of electricity theft in the country. PEC had a strong computer system that constantly monitored electricity supply use.
In July, PEC handed over a comprehensive report to the Ministry of Energy and EDSA exposing some establishments that were stealing electricity supply in the country. Its actions led to continuous, consistent increase in revenue income.
Since that time, boosting electricity cost recovery proved to be a big challenge for the ministry, with electricity theft being widespread through illegal connections and diversions.
In inviting the ACC to help him put down the menace, the reform minded cost effective thinking Energy Minister Alhaji Sesay told ACC, “I would like to invite you to pay attention to our own sector because there is a lot of corrupt practices ongoing.”
Revenue generated by the sector, the ACC Czar noted, must be accounted for to ensure investments needed to develop the sector, and sustain the continuous supply of electricity. This is being frustrated by corrupt activities, practices and deliberate failure to pay for electricity consumption especially by large electricity consumers fishing companies, welding companies, supermarkets, manufacturing factories, etc.
A huge amount of revenue is lost due to illegal abstraction of electricity, customers being on the wrong tariff category and paying less than they should be paying for electricity; and multiple customers feeding from a single meter.
Some business houses such as supermarkets and hotels that should be operating on Tariff Band 2-4 are registered on Tariff 1, which is the same tariff as domestic consumers. Recommendation from the public in the fight against illegal electricity extraction is that Minister Sesay look keenly under his nose.
“There are some unscrupulous self serving EDSA officials,” many have said. “The illegal activities are carried out with the collaboration and cooperation of some unscrupulous EDSA staff bent on sabotaging the company for selfish purposes.”
