The Ministry of Energy Power in a central Stand as the governmental authorization responsible for the electricity

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In December 2004, a UNECA sponsored study conducted by CEMMATS Aggroup Ltd., a localized consulting firm, involved varying stakeholders in the sector to formulate an zip policy. The CEMMAT’s zip agenda for Sierra Leone in terms of policy and management represents an important set of tools that fundamentally encapsulates a multi-disciplinary structure bringing together sectors of the zip community – the Ministry of earth 4 energy review and Ability (MEP), the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS), Presidential Petroleum Commission, and the Ministry of Mineral Resources (MMR). These line Ministries of relevance to the zip agenda, where their varying roles are being specified, have reigned the development of the country’s zip policy. The standard premise of this multi-disciplinary structure is that it is serious for the effective and economic coordination of the management of the country’s indigenous zip resources. Nonetheless, it voices as though it willed be unimaginable to coordinate these so many organizations in a country with a history of corruption and mismanagement. Simply it is not unusual to have varying Ministries working in coordination to attain national development aims. Besides, the special tasks and methods of operation that mold the ability of these Ministries to produce the enabling surround for individual sakes to ably deal value added commercialised actions with the country’s zip resources are defined.

This structure, for instance, places the Ministry of Zip Ability in a central position as the governmental dominance responsible for the electricity and water sectors and its mandates includes sector policy formulation, sector designing and coordination. The Ministry is supported by the Office of the Permanent Secretary, the Water Supply Division (WSD), the Radiation Protection Unit, and the National Zip & Water Policy, Planning, and Coordination Unit (NEWPPCU). Below the Ministry’s purview as best is handling issues related to electrical power supply, including that from hydroelectric schemes and, nominally renewable zip issues related to solar and wind zip over the utility programs companies – the National Ability Authorization (NPA)/Bo-Kenema Ability Functions (BKPS); the Guma Valley Water Company (GVWC); the Sierra Leone Water Company (SALWACO); and the Bumbuna Hydroelectric Picture (BHP).

The roles of another Ministries are restricted to handling petroleum marketing sales below the purview of the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Finance; biomass issues (plant and animal-derived subject) especially fuel wood handled by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS); and the extraction of minerals, including zip related minerals like coal and ore dealt with by the Ministry of Mineral Resources (MMR).

The zip sector maintains this organizational structure to develop and implement inter-disciplinary energy-related policies. The functions of these varying Ministries and another authorities as they relate to their responsibilities for varying zip resources are outlined in the germane Acts of Parliament (accessible via government gazettes) and pertinent rules. Several of the germane Acts let in the NPA Act, 1982; the NPA (Amendment) Act, 2005; Forestry Act, 1998; and the Petroleum Act, 2002. On that point is also the draft zip policy document prepared by CEMMATS which is yet to be adopted. The policy document has been formulated in the context of average economic, social and environmental policies; mindful as best of the nature and linkages of the zip sector with another sectors; and the international and regional linkages of the sector.

Furthermore, seeing efficiency and economic measure, from an international investor’s perspective, within a scheme of such complex oversight is made cheap complex with “the Sierra Leone Export Growth and Investment funds Corporation (SLEDIC), a statutory body established by section two of the SLEDIC Act, 1993, with the primary objective of facilitating the enrollment of business enterprises; assisting investors in obtaining permits, licenses, certificates or clearances, as the case may be, required for the commencement of business; providing info to future investors on issues relating to investment; and assisting future investors in identifying join guess partners in Sierra Leone”. The priority investment funds areas SLEDIC is fighting therefore let in:

· Zip and power sector (independent power providers)

· Agriculture and Agro-Processing

· Mining Sector (Kimberlite Mining)

· Petroleum Exploration and Exploitation

· Privatization of state-owned enterprises

· Establishment and development of Export Processing Zone (EPZ)

· Infrastructure (Railway, Roads, Telecommunication, Water Supply) etc.

Sierra Leone is further down the under-exploited curve in terms of its zip endowment. The fact is, there are untapped zip imaginations, that the nation requires these imaginations, and that the zip manufacture could coordinate the exploitation of these resources with cheap environmental impact. Sierra Leone’s indigenous zip resources of a renewable nature which let in biomass, solar, wind and hydropower has the future to allow opportunities for Sierra Leonean households at all levels. The country’s biomass volume is most 656,000 lots of crop wastes. It has an annual zip future of 2,700 GWh that could be exploited for cooking, lighting and some power applications. A commercially realizable biomass supply thus exists simply discussion most biomass facilities has not attracted lots discussion and promotion by the government. The Government of Sierra Leone has not seriously addressed energy, fuel and water efficiency in all sectors of economic activity, and has not industrialized capacities for optimal use of average resources for sustainable biomass (unicellular-energy crops-residues-waste). Simply notwithstanding its lack of interest in bio-prospecting, the government is not going to stomach in the direction if traditional biomass firms in Europe and the United States are involved in formulating this future in Sierra Leone.

The country also has a solar radiation future of between 1460 kWh/m2/yr and 1800 kWh/m2/yr annually. This could be exploited for lighting and water pumping, among another applications. These resources allow an intriguing glimpse of a nation that might have had a sustainable supply of power and profitable exploitation of its promising zip imaginations, had zip efficiency remained a heart value of the country after independence. The destination for sustained economic growing and development should be saw in terms of handling the filled utilization of these resources.

The hydro future in the country has also been an epic chronicle. The net of rivers in the country allows an opportunity for hydroelectricity with over 21 sites already identified as capable of developing future hydro power. The conservatively estimated output at 1,200MW, recorded in the 1996 Ability Sector Master Program by Lahmeyer International, is necessitated by the country’s extensive net of rivers and tributaries. The completion of the current Bumbuna picture (Phase I capacity 50 MW, total capacity 275 MW) and the envisaged Bekongor picture (Bekongor III capacity 85 MW, total capacity 200 MW) – two of the many large projects that are economically exploitable – is serious for the development of the country and for Sierra Leone occupations. Simply the political would has to be there to have the Bumbuna picture to 100% completion. On that point is also the require to produce the supporting surround for individual companies to invest in mini-hydro, or “run-of-the-river” hydro power stations. The Bumbuna project, which “can eventually got the backbone of a national grid, has the future to make a strong positive impact on the national electricity supply” (CEMMAT Policy Document, 2004).

In terms of power infrastructure, the national power stations in the major cities and towns, which are very a accumulation of regional power stations, requires both new infrastructure and new ideas. “Most of the provincial stations and networks are in a state of total disrepair. The was required to have them back to their pre-1994 levels is estimated at Euro 13 million” (CEMMAT Policy Document, 2004). The Bo-Kenema Ability Functions (BKPS) which has a mixed hydro-thermal operation capacities of 5MW and 4MW at Bo and Dodo (Kenema) respectively faces the same management troubles with its commercialised operations as NPA. Rural electricity supply is non-existent. A new electricity policy is overdue, though the specifics matter, the CEMMATS draft on zip policy is instructive in this regard.

On that point are fairly quantified fossil fuels (hydrocarbons) with commercialised value in Sierra Leone. These let in substantial ignite deposits and crude oil which have not been exploited. These fossil resources have not been properly assessed to determine their future value for practical and profitable exploration. Though past administrations had offered to trade concessions for prospecting for oil and another precious mineral resources in the country, there had always been institutional secrecy surrounding the future existence of oil as a source of wealth origination for Sierra Leone. “The location, extent, and quality of the observe have remained a subject of uninformed speculation, intense curiosity, and often-wild conjecture. It is a state of affairs to which both official secrecy and the lack of transparency in the deal of public affairs in Sierra Leone have largely contributed” (Focus Sierra Leone). The Petroleum Resources Unit, below the dominance of the current President and headed by a Director–General covers to oversee the possibilities of exploration of these petroleum resources especially with European and/or American investment funds companies. It is the position of the government of President Koroma that whatsoever economic gains that are attached to the exploration of fossil fuels should be in the interest of national development.

Good governance groups and the masses roundly criticized past administrations for inadequate assesses on zip supplies in the country. Previous administrations failed to put serious dollars in the zip sector where they willed have had a take impact on advancing sufficient and sustainable supply of electricity in the country. More than opportunities can also have been made to efficaciously stand another forms of renewable energy. All in full, the zip future is undoubtedly solid. Simply more emphasis has to be placed on a more investment-friendly zip policy, particularly on opening the zip marketplace to tremendous capital investment funds and broadening incentives for investment. The reality is, there is the require (the market) for more domestic zip and more imported energy.

The greatest endowments in the zip manufacture have to be accessed and retained to coordinate and expeditiously manage an A+ zip platform for Sierra Leone. The country requires a balance of vision in the shape of a grand scheme to curtail the difficulties the country faces with commercialised zip supplies, particularly electricity supply. Attainable short-, medium-, and long-term measures to have the country there have to be practically laid away. And spell the grand scheme is being put in place, the government should not break to connect zip to mood transfer. Global warming has proved to be as horrendous a global challenge as the War on Terror.

Capital Investment funds and the Zip Marketplace

Certainly, some major element for successful zip policy and management is fiscal resources. Simply the zip sector in Sierra Leone struggles with restricted budgets and inadequate legislation that has not granted for the growing of the zip sector, let one allow a sustainable supply of electricity to the urban and rural consumers. Clearly, over the age, past administrations were not in a position where they can open to sagely invest or even produce an enabling surround for outside investment funds in the zip sector simply because of widespread corruption in public administration. The National Ability Authority, for instance, has unpaid debts of Le23.4 billion and unpaid customer bills of Le16.2 billion as best as fuel bills to petroleum companies of Le8 billion. The utility dominance also has a defective transmission and distribution scheme with 35% technical reds; and an electricity drop from 28MW from five diesel engines to 6MW from some diesel engine among another problems.

Other logistical challenges let in the procurement, storage and transportation of petroleum wares. “Sierra Leone is almost completely dependent on imports for all its petroleum requires and machinery as best as spare parts” (CEMMAT Policy Document, 2004). Petroleum wares are transported by road using tankers. The poor state of the roads exacerbates several troubles with transportation.

In plus, increasing monetary funds devoted to zip supply has entirely availed comparatively little, given the impoverished state of the country. Sierra Leone does have a younger Gross National Product (GNP) with amounts allocated to the sector direction considerably cheap than investment funds made by countries with great GNPs. However, it is not entirely the total come of money from the GNP that counts, simply also how that GNP allocation is supplemented by outside take investment funds and how such investment funds in the sector are spent.

Besides, it is viable for the government to observe monetary funds to stand its zip sector. In 2001, for instance, the World Banking company Aggroup monetary funds estimated at US$7.5 gazillion were made available to the government of Sierra Leone below former President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah to buy a new engine to increase electricity electrical capacity. Simply a used and poorly rebuilt 7.5 megawatts diesel engine went acquired.

And quite lately, “coinciding with the visit of the President of Sierra Leone to the UK, Douglas Alexander, the Secretary of State for International Growth announced two softwares of aid to Sierra Leone totaling £36 gazillion [– with] £20 gazillion to stand the building up of zip sector in Sierra Leone [that] should allow a sustainable electricity supply to the some gazillion residents of Freetown and allow lighting and power for health centers, water pumping stations, colleges and police stations” (Press Release).

In reckon of all these possibilities, a perennial subject that essential be addressed in say to shape a sustainable capacity in the zip sector is a transfer of mentality in fellowship and among decision-makers. “No capacity-building initiatives would deliver the goods if governments and the public are not saw to transfer the situation” (Embo Reports). Now there is hope with the new democratic dispensation. On assumption of office, President Koroma made a pronouncement that zip is his topmost priority. To a large extent, Koroma’s Government is thus supportive of capital investment funds in the zip sector. May be, what the Koroma administration also requires to do is to stand a clear zip sector initiative in capacity building by addressing the trouble of proper allocation of monetary funds and handling a sustainable zip supply mechanism.

The scheme already being pursued by the Koroma administration which is the actualization of an “energy stimulus plan” for Freetown and the entire country is commendable. A Presidential Emergency Job Force has been made to oversee the increase of electricity capacity in the country. Measures have also been took to involve individual sakes in the zip sector. Two 48MW independent power producer (IPP) contracts with the Nigerian investment funds company Income Electrix and the US investment funds company DELAMORE have recently been signed by the Sierra Leone Government to add to the capacity of electricity supply. Income Electrix has already shipped equipment and mobilizing to commission a 10MW generator at Black Hall Road to supply electricity to the east piece of Freetown. A Sierra Leone Government partnership with the Nigerian company Income Electrix is a serious investment funds scheme for both countries. Even though Nigeria’s focus on being a taking saving via its oil manufacture has its challenges, Nigeria’s portion of global oil reserves is quite impressive. The challenge for Nigeria’s oil exploitation is not a scarcity of world-scale oil reservoirs, preferably it is associating those oil reserves to long-term customer commitments and the capital required to shape oil refineries or multi-thousand knot pipelines. Nigeria’s oil reserves produce a tremendous opportunity to align and integrate with Africa, preferably than holding Africa hostage to scarcity. A large piece of any diplomacy with Nigeria should focus on portion Nigeria to look the gains of such a relationship.

By and big, Sierra Leone’s zip “industry shows the future to contribute as lots as Le 46 billion (approximately US$ 16 million) annually to government revenue in terms of Excise Tax and Road Users Tax” (CEMMAT Policy Document, 2004). The future is special even when the need for zip in the industrial and commercialised sectors is mainly met by self auto-generation which has negative economic consequences. Michael Conteh, resident technical consultant who is playing a coordinating role in the Ministry of Zip and Ability and its relations to the another Ministries and utility companies as best as monitoring the power scheme and providing technical advice to the ministry has spoken quite reassuringly most the under-exploited state of Sierra Leone’s vast zip future. According to his skillful noesis of the zip sector, “currently, there are no softwares in the country for supplementary energies. Sierra Leone’s zip mix is very limited. Apart from cooking that is most 95% dependent on biomass, Sierra Leone is almost 100% dependent on imported petroleum wares and electricity for all its zip needs.” Again, restoring the operations of the Sierra Leone Petroleum Refinery Corporation (SLPRC) which has a distillation future capacity of 700,000 metric lots has the possibilities of generating more revenue for the government. The corporation takes stable investment funds to sustain its distillation electrical capacity. Bringing together the five petroleum major outside oil and oil functions companies running in the country namely Mobil, National Petroleum Company (NP), Safecon, Unipetrol and Leonoil, and/or another investors within the SLPRC is critical to revamp the refinery’s operations and to invigorate the market’s future future and stimulating the raise of choices.

The structure of zip royalties is spelt out in the Local Government Act, 2004 (Local Government Act, 2004). Simply Sierra Leone’s zip sector, with its multifaceted mix of public and individual actors, has a bleak history of weak monitoring, low transparency, and inadequate civil service get and benefits; and incentives for illicit gain are rife. The sector has the future to generate substantial cash transactions compared with another functions and infrastructure sectors such as water and sanitation or use of roads. Simply the average forms of corruption plaguing the sector takes petty corruption which is prevalent at the interface with customers when bribes are paying to or demanded by meter readers or safety inspectors and illicit sale of fuel oils. There are also many illegal connections by low-income as best as high-income households and commercialised establishments. The aggregate impact of “petty corruption” may be further from petty because reds may come to more than $10 gazillion all yr. Inadequate revenue accumulation and another corrupt practices lead to deteriorating service with frequent blackouts and supply interruptions.

The viability of the zip sector therefore takes a strategic study of the complex systems of sustainable power supply and revenue assembling. Governments could act decisively to deal with corruption in the zip sector—most involving privatization, competitor, more transparent principles, and more disclosure. Reforms in the zip sector could be in the shape of selling special actions such as the zip distribution scheme using prepaid meters to strategic investors with a tested track book and a long-term interest in the job. The prepaid meter scheme currently piloted in Freetown has the future to increase revenue accumulation and concentrate corruption in the sector. Most 2000 prepaid meters are currently in use. The government has contracted the Chinese investment funds company, the Sierra Leone Gouji Investment funds and Development, Ltd. for supply of 100,000 prepaid meters. “Chinese mold in the investment funds mood is development steadily [superseding European and US investment] to the extent that a Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry went launched in 2005. The government has been supportive of Chinese investment funds initiatives, apparently because of many age of Chinese government aid to Sierra Leone. The Bintumani Hotel, ravaged by invading rebels in 1999, is on lease for 25 age to Beijing Construction. The Chinese have transformed a former home for the displaced, the National Workshop, into a showpiece tractor-assembly plant [from which the Gouji prepaid meters being piloted in Freetown are also distributed]” (African Survey of Business and Technology). Nevertheless, a new Sierra Leone below President Koroma is now open for business and the reforms in the zip sector the new administration is advancing let in as best more transparent marketplace regulations and coordinating an independent regulatory body with more presidential oversight to oversee the economic management of a more imaginative zip sector.

Causes to deal zip supply and coordination challenges should be placed in a large policy framework that addresses another social matters. More than notably, such strategies should be piece of policies designed to use up-to-date and economic zip functions to attain sustainable development goals. Adequate resources ought to be made available for investment funds in oil exploration and development actions and there has to be investor-friendly legal and regulatory framework to appeal oil exploration companies. On that point are issues of supply and storage limitations for varying petroleum wares and the necessity to re-launch refining operation in the country. And when clear and unified standards for running retail outlets are also put in place, get at to up-to-date and economic zip resources is ensured.