By Mabinty M. Kamara
The Sierra Leone government has called on the ECOWAS Bank to increase its support to the country.
The call was made by Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh at the just concluded meeting of the Board of Governors of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), held at the Radisson Blu Mammy Yoko Hotel in Freetown.
VP Jalloh, in a statement to the delegates acknowledged the financial and technical support the bank has provided Sierra Leone over the years which he said has helped improve the lives of Sierra Leoneans. He then noted that Sierra Leone has a lot of untapped opportunities in agriculture, fisheries, tourism, industry, and services, stating that the country also has huge potentials in renewable energy, all of which will require support.
Jalloh said the government is planning to increase renewable energy capacity (solar hydro) to 65%, electricity generation from 25 to 65% and installed electric capacity from the current 100 megawatts to 350 megawatts by 2023.
“As much as we remain cognizant of our potentials, we are fully aware that we have to overcome many challenges if we are to realize our goals and ambitions. Currently, the country is faced with high infrastructural deficits in the energy, transport, and ICT sectors. The country has 1,031 kilometer of paved road, representing 9% of the total road network, which is considerably low compared to other regional member states,” the VP said.
The Vice President went on to say that the implementation of all these projects and programmes articulated in the country’s Medium Term National Development Plan requires substantial financial and technical resources.
“The ECOWAS Bank for development has a critical role to play in these efforts. That is why today I am calling on the support of the bank to help unleash the growth potential of this country. We are seeking collaboration and investment opportunities in our renewable energy sources as well as in modernizing our energy generation system as we embark on positioning Sierra Leone as the renewable energy hub for the ECOWAS regional Block,” he stated.
Dr Jalloh also called on EBID to support the government’s flagship Free Quality education initiative, as well as to help in the rebuilding and retooling of the country’s health care system to enhance quality and affordable health care delivery services for all Sierra Leoneans.
© 2019 Politico Online
