By mohamedj.bah@awokonewspaper.sl
Freetown, SIERRA LEONE – According to the Director General of the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA), Abu Kamara, they are losing over Le7 billion old notes monthly on electricity theft and vandalisation of their properties.
He disclosed this to Journalists in a press conference at their Siaka Stevens Street Office on Tuesday 7th March 2023.
Currently, he said that the Authority is challenged with funding, as a result of the power theft and destruction of their properties.
“If we are to keep providing power supply to the people of Sierra Leone we all have a role to play in ensuring that we stop illegal extraction of electricity”.
The Director maintained that the consequences of such action have become dire on the part of the Authority, which is putting them in a very difficult situation as well.
According to him all of their staff buy electricity in Leones including some citizens, but they are paying their partners in dollars. Thus, taking into account the current state of the dollar against the Leone together with the ill attitude of some Sierra Leoneans, would cripple the Authority. The illegal connect is killing EDSA”, he stressed.
He added that it is unfair on the path of those who are buying their electricity service, while hosts of others are bent on theft.
As a result of such, he appealed to every Sierra Leonean to take responsibility in order to stop such practice.
Another issues Mr. Kamara spoke about is the vandalisation of their properties. He said their transformers are being destroyed by people in order to extract the coil from them.
Currently he said they have about 500 transformers in the Western Area and to repair or replace any one of those cost huge amount of money. In this regard he called on the community to take owner of the property and advise people who are in the habit of doing such to desist from it, as the law will fall heavily on anybody found wanting.
In his statement the Deputy Minister of Energy Eldred Taylor said the Director has the blessings and commitment of the government going forward in ensuring that they put an end to such a menace.
He appealed to the media, to help out in such a fight by taking the message to the people.
According to him government is putting huge subsidy on energy noting that it will come to a point when such will be unsustainable.
Questions and answers from both the Journalists and the EDSA team closed the session. MJB/9/3/2023
