The Senegal Minister of Petroleum and Gas, Sophie Gladima has met the Sierra Leone MCC delegation in Dakar during which she shared her country’s experience in the energy reform process. Gladima highlighted the importance of energy in boosting Senegal’s mining sector and the economic development of the country as a whole.
She explained how Senegal prioritised their MCC compact in the area of energy which they hope to distribute nationwide by 2025.
The Permanent Secretary for Energy Bakary Diop said upon getting the MCC Compact they reformed policies, upgraded and raised the level of electricity distribution with emphasis on availability for families. He explained the problems they encountered in the Build Operate and Transfer and why they now prefer an arrangement in which private energy service providers are given a contract for a specific number of years.
Vice-president Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh said they were there to gain an understanding of Senegal's compact development process including the analysis and consultation phase, a view shared as well by Sierra Leone’s Energy Minister Alhaji Kanja Sesay, who also requested for more information on the capacity of energy generated so far and the present state of Senegal’s rural electrification program.
Sierra Leone's Minister of Finance, Jacob Jusu Saffa requested for details on Senegal’s management of the role of the private sector during the implementation stage of electricity distribution.
Senegal’s Chief of Cabinet, Issa Dione in his statement gave the present level of power generation that Senegal uses which is 1,400 megawatt with 76% accessibility countrywide including 50% electrification of rural areas at present.
Sierra Leone was selected for the compact grant last December and is currently at the compact development stage for which it needs to learn from other beneficiary countries like Senegal to be on a better footing in the implementation process.
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