Dilapidated Moyamba generator
By Mustapha Sesay
Residents of Moyamba Township would have to wait little longer in order to benefit from the rural electrification project initiated by the Ministry of Energy.
The project, according to Ministry of Energy officials, is aimed at improving and rehabilitating all networks of electricity supply in districts headquarter towns across the country.
This plan to revamp electricity supply across the country is in line with the APC-led government’s key priorities. But it has not been effective for some parts of the country, Moyamba being a typical case in point.
It is almost three years now since the plan to rehabilitate the crippled power system in the district headquarter town begun, but much have not been achieved in terms of providing the much needed electricity supply.
Musa Bayoh is part of a five member staff drawn from both the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA) and the Electricity Generation and Transmission Company (EGTC) sent to Moyamba to man the seemingly abandoned power station.
Bayoh told Politico that he has spent over 3 years in Moyamba awaiting the commencement of the project. He explained that the whole network system in the township needed replacement and that it would take a whole lot of time. He said this also means the process would have to delay because there was nothing on the ground to indicate that it would start soon.
He however noted that some Chinese men and the electricity officials have done preliminary survey to assess what was needed for the project and that the officials had revealed at the end of the survey that they needed 21 transformers, 100 watts each. They also told Baryoh, according to the EDSA employee, that they would come back this past June. But he said he was yet to set eye on them.
“There is nothing here,” Bayoh stressed, pointing to the empty offices in the power station, adding: “When we came here newly this place was like a forest. But thank God I have managed to clean the environment. Thieves have made away with most of the cables that were here because there is no security to guard here at night.”
Dr. Herbert Borbor Kandeh, better known as Professor Bob Kandeh, the District Council Chairman of Moyamba, said they had held a lot consultative meetings with the energy stakeholders in line with the electrification project but noted that it was clear that it will take a long time before they would get electricity supply. He said there was also a hydro project for Moyamba town but it was also at an infant stage.
“For now there is no light and it will take time before we will get light because even the hydro project will take over five years to complete,” Professor Kandeh said.
Some residents raised concern over the delay, and cited the just commissioned electricity supply in Magboroka north of the country as a sign of bias towards the southern part of the country.
John Kamara, who runs a mobile phone charging centre in Moyamba, said he has to rely on generator to run his business all this time. He pointed out that if they have electricity life would be better for them. For now, people like John rely on buying fuel for their generator, yet fuel supply to the district is ata best erratic. There is only one filling station within Moyamba.
“Look, Magboroka has light now and we are under the same project. Why are they dragging our own,” John asked.
Mohamed Fonikel, Information Officer at the Ministry of Energy, told Politico in a telephone interview that the project was still on course and that Magboroka project was implemented under emergency because of pressure from the people.
“The people were desperate, when the president was commissioning the light he said the people have always asked him to give them light,” Fonike said, adding: “that was why they installed that small generator; it is just 1.2 mega watt. They need three generators and when the project will be fully implemented that machine will be changed.”
© Politico 27/07/16
