By: Saidu Jalloh
President Julius Maada Bio has unveiled bold new initiatives to accelerate Sierra Leone’s energy transition, announcing plans to establish a Rural Electrification Agency aimed at providing electricity to over 500,000 households by 2030.
In his address at the 2025 Climate Resilience and Energy Transition (CRET) Dialogue, President Bio reiterated his government’s commitment to expanding access to cleaner energy, particularly in remote and underserved communities. He highlighted several institutional and policy reforms already in place to facilitate this transition.
“Our goal is to go beyond verbal declarations and turn our ambitions into measurable outcomes and results,” President Bio declared, referencing his administration’s launch of Sierra Leone’s Energy Transition and Green Growth Plan during the first CRET Dialogue.
He explained that the plan was designed to foster climate resilience and sustainable economic growth. Within a year of its introduction, Sierra Leone began implementing concrete actions that propelled the nation’s clean energy efforts forward.
“I am proud to say we have made considerable progress. Our achievements have been shaped by consistency, strong partnerships, and dedicated leadership,” he emphasized.
President Bio highlighted the importance of the dialogue as a platform to celebrate collective progress while advancing both national and global climate and energy agendas. Through these discussions, he noted, cooperation among the government, private sector, and development partners has been strengthened, laying a solid foundation for investment and policy alignment with climate goals.
“We remain committed to this roadmap because, for us in Sierra Leone, climate change is not a distant threat,” he stated. “We have already suffered its devastating effects, and that demands urgent, collective action.”
He further stressed that the success of the energy transition plan hinges on securing adequate funding to implement the actions outlined in the strategy.
The President announced that in September, Mission 300 the largest and most comprehensive investment plan for Sierra Leone’s energy sector was officially endorsed. He expressed gratitude to the World Bank, the African Development Bank, and other development partners for their commitment to the initiative.
Mission 300 is a continental project designed to connect 300 million Africans to reliable and affordable electricity by 2030. Under this framework, Sierra Leone aims to increase its electricity access from 36% to 78% by 2030, providing power to 720,000 new households through grid expansion, off-grid, and mini-grid renewable energy solutions.
“Mission 300 stands as the main strategic investment framework for our energy sector, under which all programs will be aligned,” President Bio explained, noting that the country plans to leverage private sector financing to close existing energy funding gaps.
Reaffirming his government’s commitment to large-scale energy transformation, President Bio assured partners of continued leadership, transparency, and accountability in executing the reforms.
He also announced the signing of a 40-megawatt solar power plant in Kamakwei and revealed plans to launch a Regional Emergency Solar Intervention Project in 2026, featuring 40 megawatts of solar power with battery storage 30 megawatts in Newton and 10 megawatts in Lungi.
Additionally, the President disclosed that a Climate Financing Unit has been established within the Ministry of Finance to improve coordination and resource mobilization for climate programs. As Chair of ECOWAS, he reaffirmed Sierra Leone’s commitment to regional energy cooperation and climate resilience through the West Africa Power Pool and CLSG Interconnection projects.
In closing, President Bio connected the country’s energy transformation efforts to his flagship Feed Salone Initiative, describing it as a bold effort toward food security, rural transformation, and agricultural modernization that will promote resilience and growth for farmers and agribusinesses across Sierra Leone.