In a recent statement made by the Minister of Energy, Dr. Alhaji Kanja Sesay in the occasion of commissioning the Leicester peak community transformer, he was very unyielding in his assurance that he was going to revolutionize the Energy sector in the country. This declaration was alluring in the ears of many well-meaning Sierra Leoneans who were present at the ceremony and even those that listen to him via media for they may want to see a boom in the Energy sector which to many will serve as a significant pillar to the country’s development. Now that the hope of electricity in the capital Freetown seems to be shattered as a result of the departure of “Karpowership2” which is considered as the hub of electricity supply in the city, many critical minds will start to nurture doubt over the guarantee of the Minister on a revolutionized energy sector.
We in the covenant Newspaper would want to call the attention of the Energy Minister on the importance of electricity to the development of a country like Sierra Leone, for we are of the strong conviction that access to energy is central to issues such as security, food production and strengthening economies, while protecting ecosystems.
We are also of the fervent view that increased access to electricity improves education, entertainment, health facilities, protection and productivity as it makes our lives significantly easier by enhancing us with the opportunity to power the technology we use every day and host of other responsibilities.
To us in the covenant Newspaper, electricity is central to the ability of almost all modern societies to function as hospitals, street lights, and most forms of communication systems are dependent upon electricity, thus survival without electricity supply is unimaginable in this mundane world.
In lieu to the above it will not be overemphasized to state that sustainable electricity is pivotal in the development of a nation because it serves as a means of attracting investment into the country. With sustainable electricity supply in a country, investors may be moved to invest their huge capitals into the economy of the country through the establishment of industries and companies which to an extension will create employment opportunities, hence set the stage for the development of the nation.
The erstwhile president of the All People’s Congress Party (APC), Earnest Bai Koroma made as a priority the development of the energy sector and many were convince on his promised because he was able to bring electricity to the capital Freetown on the stipulated ninety days he promised. Though to some extent it could not reach all the confines of the capital Freetown but it was during his tenure that the “dark city” as Freetown was fondly called rejuvenated into an electrified one.
Therefore, the covenant Newspaper would want to entreat the government of President Bio to take serious measures in ensuring that necessary strategies are put in place by the Ministry of Energy to avert the problem of electricity supply in the capital Freetown as it will have an impressive effect on not only the lives of the people of Freetown but would also stampede the development of the country as a whole.
