Deputy Minister of Energy Ing. Edmond Nonie last week told investors at the Projects & Investment Network Enlit Africa conference in Cape Town that Sierra Leone’s energy sector is open for business, with reforms underway to de-risk investment and improve returns.
Deputy Minister of Energy, Ing Edmond Nonie
Speaking on Wednesday, 20 May during the “Joint Session Ministerial Spotlight,” Ing. Nonie laid out the country’s investment potential across generation, transmission, and distribution, while acknowledging the central role of the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA) as the sector’s sole off-taker.
Addressing an audience of developers, financiers, and policymakers from across the continent, Ing. Nonie said Sierra Leone is moving to transform EDSA from a bottleneck into an enabler of private investment.
“EDSA remains the only off-taker in our sector, selling electricity directly to consumers. But we are restructuring the market to make that relationship work for investors,” he said. “The goal is simple: reduce commercial losses, improve revenue collection, and create a predictable payment cycle that gives investors’ confidence.”
He highlighted ongoing reforms supported by the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s $480 million Compact and the World Bank, including:
The procurement of a private sector concessionaire to manage EDSA operations;
Establishment of a Sector Collection Account to ring-fence revenues;
Upgrades to metering and billing systems to improve data and reduce losses;
Investment in transmission and distribution infrastructure to evacuate new generation.
Ing. Nonie outlined opportunities for private capital in solar, hydro rehabilitation, battery storage, and mini-grids for off-grid communities. He also pointed to demand growth driven by the government’s Feed Salone Agenda, which requires reliable power for agriculture, agro-processing, and rural electrification.
“Sierra Leone’s peak demand is rising, and our current supply mix cannot meet it without private participation,” he said. “We have policy space, we have political will, and we now have the institutional reforms to match. What we need are partners ready to build and operate assets.”
“The reforms we are implementing are not theoretical. They are happening now. The concessioning of EDSA, the collection account, the capacity building: these are designed to make the off-taker bankable,” Ing. Nonie said. “We want investors to come in knowing the rules are clear and the payments will flow.”
Enlit Africa, one of the continent’s largest power and energy events, brought together ministers, utilities, and investors last week to advance Africa’s energy transition. Sierra Leone’s participation signalled its intent to position itself as an emerging market for clean energy investment.
With the energy sector and the Feed Salone Agenda inextricably linked, reforms continue to drive progress across the sector.
