By Emma Black
In recent years and alarmingly, over the past three months Sierra Leone has seen a worrying surge in fire incidents, these blazes have devastated homes, businesses, and even key public buildings, including parts of the State House, as the ashes settle and the losses mount, public sentiment often turns toward a familiar target: the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA).
19 May 2025 as community people closely monitored developments in Sierra Leone’s energy sector and reported on numerous fire-related disasters, one member said I believe it is time we face the uncomfortable truth, EDSA may not be the real culprit we, the citizens, may be more responsible than we’re willing to admit.
Before casting blame, it’s critical to understand EDSA’s actual mandate. The authority is responsible for electricity distribution, the installation of prepaid meters, and the electrification of communities and power lines, however, EDSA is not responsible for internal wiring within homes, offices, or public buildings. That duty falls squarely on property owners and their chosen electricians or contractors.
A majority of the buildings in Sierra Leone, especially in urban centers like Freetown, were constructed over 50 years ago. Many of them have never been rewired or upgraded to meet today’s safety standards, aging wiring, exposed cables, and overloaded circuits have become ticking time bombs ones that have absolutely nothing to do with EDSA’s operations.
Too often, homeowners turn to unqualified, uncertified individuals for electrical installations—simply to save money, these individuals lack the training and licensing required by the Electricity and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC). The consequences are clear: shoddy installations that can spark fires and endanger lives.
The local market is saturated with low-quality and often counterfeit electrical appliances. Sellers openly distinguish between original and Chinese or fake options, with financial pressures, many consumers knowingly purchase the latter, despite their higher risk of malfunction and fire.
We’re frequently advised to unplug devices before bed, avoid overloading sockets, and use voltage regulators, yet, how often do we follow these simple guidelines, our complacency and shortcuts in managing electricity in our homes and offices are major contributors to these recurring disasters, in reality, 70% of fire outbreaks linked to electrical faults can be traced back to consumer negligence not EDSA.
While EDSA may not be directly responsible for these fires, it still has a role to play, the authority should ramp up public education campaigns about electrical safety, promote the use of certified electricians, and collaborate with EWRC to make safety information more accessible.
Blaming EDSA may provide temporary emotional relief, but it doesn’t solve the real problem. Until we take responsibility for how we manage electricity in our homes, tragedies like these will continue.ire safety is a shared responsibility and it starts with awareness, accountability, and action at the individual level, for the safety of our families, our properties, and our nation, it’s time to stop the blame game and start doing better.
Copy right –Printed in the Expo Times News on Friday, May 21st, 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
