Fatmata Binta Bah
It is now obvious that the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) has approved a whopping USD$480 million for Sierra Leone after the country became eligible for the MCC Compact. It is indeed a thump up for all of us: the President, Government and People of Sierra Leone. As we anticipate the disbursement of the said money and the rolling out of projects in the energy sector, as a target sector, will this development address our perennial energy challenges?
Well, the National Coordinator of Sierra Leone Compact Development Unit, Ndeye Fatu Koroma, at the weekly Ministry of Information and Civic Education’s press briefing on Tuesday, 2nd June, 2024, held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation conference hall in Freetown, expressing her immense joy on the great accomplishment which they have attained, recounting on the various challenges they encountered during the process.
She said the MCC Compact is a reflection of the mentality of no impossibility in Sierra Leone, adding that the achievement would not have come to light had it not been for team work involving several persons and institutions, including President Bio, Vice President Juldeh Jalloh, the Minister of Finance and Dr. Kandeh Yumkella.
“Many countries tried, but were not able to qualify. However, Sierra Leone was able to meet the MCC benchmarks,” she expressed.
She noted that many people are curious to know how they went about the process, citing significant transformation in the educational sector as a contributing factor to the MCC scorecard.
Madam Koroma said meaningful discussions and engagements were held on a range of MCC scorecard indicators.
She expressed confidence that, after implementation of the MCC Compact on energy, it will address energy challenges significantly.
“There will be digital systems through which better decision can be made on how to ensure energy reliability,” she expressed optimism, noting that there are still challenges with regard connecting to weak transmission lines.
She said making EDSA efficient is part of implementing the energy compact.
“One major challenge affecting the country’s development is poor planning. Sustainable development cannot be done overnight,” she said, while recognizing the importance of the private sector, saying the future huge technical infrastructure requires private sector investment.
She revealed that by September, the implementation is expected to kickstart.
“This is not just a mere project, but an international one at that. After all the necessary arrangements are made, we will ensure the money is spent on something beneficial and impactful,” Madam Koroma assured, while underscoring transparency and accountability throughout the process.
Speaking on local content, the MCC Sierra Leone Compact Coordinator said, “There is going to be a team which Sierra Leoneans leading the implementation process.”
The approved USD$480 million is to span within five years and is expected to install hundreds of kilometres of transition line, fix EDSA and sustainably improve the energy sector.
It is the hope of everyone, especially those in energy deprived communities in Sierra Leone, that such a massive development would better and sustainably address our perennial energy challenges.
Copyright –Published in print in Expo Times Newspaper on Friday, July 5th, 2024 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
