Management staff from the UNOPS team in Sierra Leone was yesterday received by top executives of the Ministry of Energy.
Purpose of the meeting was to introduce the newly appointed Regional Director of UNOPS, as well as to update ministry officials on the status of the Rural Renewable Energy Project (RREP).
Outgoing Regional Director, UNOPS, Andy Babrow, informed ministry officials about investments in both financial and physical to improve rural electrification in hard to reach communities using renewable energy. He added that a lot has been done but much more needs to be done before the completion of the RREP.
25 communities in rural areas have been selected and handed over to operators to commence, commercial operations at an affordable cost. According to UNOPS Country Manager, Nick Gardener also disclosed other projects undertaken by UNOPS besides the RREP, which includes environment protection, noting that the environment needs protection, for renewable energy to work well and be sustainable, a resource that is abundant in Africa. The expansion of the RREP should incorporate other local communities, but the 20-year contract period to operators, should be renegotiated in order to avoid complacency and monopoly of the project, by implementing operators, who will operate the RREP on as a commercial venture
Incoming Regional Director, UNOPS, Ifeoma Monwuba, was delighted she is taking up office at a time when the new direction government is also exploring all other avenues to ensure that energy reaches every town, chiefdom and village. She disclosed the operations of UNOPS serving developing countries, noting that projects will be reviewed and rethink will be done at top level, to explore possibilities of increased and better financing, for the implementation of energy projects in rural communities. Deputy Minister of Energy, Eldred Tunde Taylor, expressed satisfaction over the implementation of the RREP. “Having gone through available documents, UNOPS have tried to make like better for rural communities”.
He added that energy is governments third priority, noting that at a recent retreat energy was high on the governments agenda, to ensure that energy becomes, accessible, affordable and sustainable to all towns and remote communities.
AC/30/6/18
By Ade Campbell
Monday July 02 2018.
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