Over six villages in Sierra Leone’s Western Rural District, around Konta Line, have benefited from a solar energy project, powered by the Barefoot Women Association with support from the ministry of energy.
The Barefoot Women Solar Project, which aims at enhancing rural electrification, and comprises only rural women, commissioned and handed over the installed household solar lights to the villages last week.
At the commissioning ceremony, one of the Members of Parliament present, Claude Kamanda, expressed appreciation to the rural women’s group and the energy ministry. He noted that the initiative would greatly improve the lives of people in that part of the country.
He however urged the ministry of energy to expand the project so that other villages in the rural communities would enjoy similar facilities. He also informed beneficiaries that they will be paying a stipulated amount of Le 7,000 as monthly charge.
Meanwhile, the director of Energy, Benjamin Kamara, referred to the move as the beginning of the project, adding that plans were on the way to ensure that the rural areas were comfortable in terms of electricity supply. He pledged the ministry’s fullest support towards actualization of the project.
Chief Engineer of Barefoot, Nancy Kanu, pleaded with other beneficiaries to exercise patience as all homes in the rural district would eventually benefit from the project. She said they had so far been provided with limited resources by the government and added that they had to work with local authorities whiles installing the electricity.
© Politico 29/01/15
