INCREASING ENERGY ACCESS IN SIERRA LEONE

The report assesses the mini-grid sectors in Sierra Leone and Nigeria, focusing on regulatory frameworks, tariffs, subsidies, and productive use of electricity (PUE). It highlights that Sierra Leone's mini-grid tariffs (averaging USD 0.79/kWh) are higher than Nigeria's (averaging USD 0.58/kWh) due to differences in market scale, planning approaches, and household income. The document recommends that Sierra Leone adopt a long-term national strategy, streamline import duty exemptions, and implement a hybrid up-front cash grant/results-based financing (RBF) subsidy scheme to lower costs and attract private investment.

• Sierra Leone faces significant electricity access challenges, with a national electrification rate of 26 percent, which drops to 6 percent in rural areas. Grid reliability is poor, with fewer than one-third of surveyed firms and households reporting reliable access.
• Mini-grid tariffs in Sierra Leone are generally higher than those in Nigeria. Initial tariffs for RREP Work Package 1 (WP-1) sites averaged USD 0.85/kWh, later decreasing to an average of USD 0.79/kWh for combined WP-1 and WP-2 sites. In contrast, Nigerian mini-grid tariffs average USD 0.58/kWh, ranging from USD 0.39/kWh to 0.79/kWh.
• The disparity in tariffs between the two countries is driven by Nigeria's larger market scale, different planning approaches, and higher household income levels in Nigeria compared to Sierra Leone, where the national poverty headcount ratio was 56.8 percent in 2018.
• Affordability is a primary barrier to connection in Sierra Leone; 80 percent of surveyed community members who did not connect to mini-grids cited the tariff as the main reason. However, the report notes that mini-grid electricity often remains cheaper than alternative energy sources like kerosene and diesel.
• Productive Use of Electricity (PUE) is critical for rural economic development and the financial viability of mini-grids in Sierra Leone. The most common PUE applications identified in surveys are milling (46%) and refrigeration (38%), particularly supporting sectors like rice, palm oil, fish, vegetables, and groundnuts.
• There are significant differences in the institutional approach to rural electrification: Nigeria has a dedicated Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and a bottom-up, private sector-led approach, whereas Sierra Leone manages planning through the Ministry of Energy (MoE) using a top-down, donor-funded public-private partnership model.

APA

LaBua, A., Adaju, S., Uwajeh, I., Alaba, K., Johnson, S., Cooper, A., & Aron, C. (2021). INCREASING ENERGY ACCESS IN SIERRA LEONE. Sustainable Energy for All. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2021-05/Energy-Access-Sierra-Leone-es-SEforALL.pdf

Chicago

LaBua, Alexander, Segun Adaju, Ifechukwude Uwajeh, Koye Alaba, Sophie Johnson, Aleece Cooper, and Clifford Aron. INCREASING ENERGY ACCESS IN SIERRA LEONE. Sustainable Energy for All, 2021. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2021-05/Energy-Access-Sierra-Leone-es-SEforALL.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=LaBua |first1=Alexander |last2=Adaju |first2=Segun |last3=Uwajeh |first3=Ifechukwude |last4=Alaba |first4=Koye |last5=Johnson |first5=Sophie |last6=Cooper |first6=Aleece |last7=Aron |first7=Clifford |title=INCREASING ENERGY ACCESS IN SIERRA LEONE |publisher=Sustainable Energy for All |date=March 2021 |url=https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2021-05/Energy-Access-Sierra-Leone-es-SEforALL.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{labua2021increasing, author = {LaBua, Alexander and Adaju, Segun and Uwajeh, Ifechukwude and Alaba, Koye and Johnson, Sophie and Cooper, Aleece and Aron, Clifford}, title = {{INCREASING ENERGY ACCESS IN SIERRA LEONE}}, institution = {Sustainable Energy for All}, year = {2021}, month = mar, url = {https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2021-05/Energy-Access-Sierra-Leone-es-SEforALL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }