$60M For Electricity Development… Sierra Leoneans Express Cautious Optimism
By Abdul Rahman Bah
The Government of Sierra Leone has welcomed the World Bank Board’s approval of US$60 million under the Regional Programme for Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Solutions (Regional DARES) as another milestone in its drive toward universal electricity access. While the announcement represents one of the most significant renewable energy commitments to the country in recent years, it also places the government under intense public scrutiny, as many Sierra Leoneans continue to question why years of donor-funded energy programmes have yet to translate into reliable electricity for millions of citizens.
For decades, Sierra Leone’s electricity sector has remained one of the country’s greatest development challenges. Governments of different administrations have secured financial support from the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the European Union, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the Islamic Development Bank and several bilateral partners. Despite these interventions, electricity remains scarce, particularly outside Freetown, where many district headquarter towns and rural communities continue to depend on generators, solar lanterns, kerosene lamps and firewood for their daily needs.
The latest World Bank financing therefore arrives against a backdrop of both optimism and skepticism. The government says the project will expand electricity access through solar home systems, mini-grids and other decentralized renewable energy technologies capable of reaching communities beyond the national grid. Officials estimate that more than 1.2 million people and approximately 24,000 businesses will benefit, while attracting an additional US$54 million in private investment.
However, development analysts argue that Sierra Leone’s biggest problem has never been the absence of donor funding. Rather, the challenge has been converting financial commitments into sustainable and measurable outcomes. Over the years, numerous infrastructure projects have experienced delays, cost overruns, weak supervision and maintenance problems. Several rural electrification schemes that initially generated excitement, later struggled because of inadequate technical support, shortages of replacement equipment, poor revenue collection systems and insufficient community ownership.
Critics contend that successive governments have often celebrated funding approvals more enthusiastically than completed projects. Public announcements highlighting millions of dollars in international support have frequently been followed by years of slow implementation, leaving citizens waiting for improvements that arrive far later than anticipated or fail to meet expectations. As a result, confidence in major infrastructure announcements has gradually declined among sections of the public.
The government’s commitment to achieving universal electricity access under Mission 300 is ambitious and widely welcomed. Yet achieving that objective will require far more than financing agreements. Sierra Leone still faces significant structural challenges, including inadequate transmission infrastructure, weak institutional capacity, technical losses within the electricity network, limited regulatory enforcement and the financial difficulties confronting state-owned electricity institutions. Unless these underlying issues are addressed alongside renewable energy expansion, the country may continue to struggle with unreliable electricity supply despite increased investment.
Businesses remain among those most affected by the country’s energy deficiencies. Many enterprises spend substantial portions of their operating costs on diesel generators because public electricity is either unavailable or unreliable. These additional costs reduce profitability, discourage investment and increase the prices consumers ultimately pay for goods and services. Small manufacturers, cold-storage operators, information technology businesses and hospitality enterprises have repeatedly identified electricity shortages as one of the principal obstacles to business growth and job creation.
The healthcare sector faces similar challenges. Health centres without dependable electricity often struggle to preserve vaccines, operate laboratory equipment, perform emergency procedures and provide uninterrupted maternal healthcare. Educational institutions also suffer from unreliable power, limiting access to digital learning resources and reducing opportunities for students to study under adequate lighting. These realities demonstrate that electricity is no longer simply an infrastructure issue, but a fundamental requirement for national development.
Although the government expects the programme to stimulate private sector participation, questions remain regarding Sierra Leone’s investment climate. Private investors generally require stable regulatory frameworks, transparent procurement systems, commercially viable tariffs and confidence that contracts will be honoured. Any uncertainty surrounding governance or regulatory consistency could affect investor confidence and slow implementation.
Another area attracting public attention is transparency. Civil society organisations and governance advocates have consistently called for greater disclosure regarding donor-funded infrastructure projects. They argue that citizens deserve regular information on procurement decisions, project milestones, contractor performance, expenditure levels and implementation timelines. Without robust public reporting, concerns over accountability and value for money are likely to persist.
The government also faces the challenge of ensuring equitable distribution of benefits. Previous infrastructure investments have sometimes been criticised for concentrating development in urban areas while remote communities continue to lag behind. Since Regional DARES specifically targets off-grid populations, expectations are high that rural communities, where electricity access remains lowest, will finally receive meaningful attention. Failure to reach these communities could undermine one of the programme’s central objectives.
There is also the issue of long-term sustainability. Renewable energy infrastructure requires continuous maintenance, technical expertise, spare parts and effective management long after donor funding has been exhausted. Across several African countries, mini-grid projects have deteriorated because maintenance arrangements were inadequate once initial financing ended. Sierra Leone must therefore develop strong maintenance systems capable of protecting these investments for decades rather than years.
The approval of US$60 million undoubtedly represents an important opportunity for Sierra Leone. It reflects continued confidence from international development partners in the country’s energy reform agenda and its ambition to expand renewable energy access. However, international confidence alone will not satisfy citizens who continue to experience daily power outages, expensive generator fuel and limited access to electricity.
Ultimately, the Bio administration will be judged not by the announcement of donor financing, but by the results delivered on the ground. Sierra Leoneans are unlikely to measure success by the size of loans and grants approved in Washington or other international capitals. Instead, they will judge the government’s performance by whether villages receive electricity for the first time, whether hospitals can provide uninterrupted services, whether businesses reduce dependence on costly generators, whether schools benefit from reliable power, and whether ordinary families finally experience the social and economic opportunities that dependable electricity makes possible.
The World Bank’s approval therefore represents both an opportunity and a test. If implemented transparently, efficiently and within schedule, the programme could transform the lives of millions of Sierra Leoneans and accelerate national development. If implementation falls short of expectations, however, it risks becoming another example of substantial international financing failing to produce the lasting transformation that citizens have been promised for many years.
