Ambassador Henry Macauley signs declaration with EU on energy support to Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone’s Minister of Energy and Power, Ambassador Henry O. Macauley, has signed an epic Joint Declaration with the European Union for the Union’s support to the Energy Sector in Sierra Leone.

The ceremony took place at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

This is the first time Sierra Leone has such an agreement with the European Union and it opens the way for huge financial and technical support to significantly transform the sector to achieve the Ministry’s vision to increase Sierra Leone’s energy capacity to 1000 MW.

The Minister is also attending the First ever Global Ministerial Dialogue on Sustainable Energy for All Initiative, which seeks to expand energy access rapidly, especially in the rural areas. These are concrete signs that the Ministry of Energy is making positive strides in permanently improving electricity in Sierra Leone.

Also at the UN General Assembly today, Hon. Ambassador Macauley met and held fruitful and fraternal discussions with Akon (real name: Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam ), one of the world’s most celebrated musical artists , who last year expressed his commitment to embark on a massive lighting project called the “Akon Lighting Africa” that will focus on providing energy for people in rural areas .

The Akon Lighting Africa Project will provide solar light system that will be reasonable enough for people in remote communities to afford, according to a response Akon reportedly gave to SLBC’s Asmieu Bah’s February 17, 2014 interview with the Minister of Information and Communications Alhaji Alpha Kanu, on the energy situation in Sierra Leone, as reported by the website, mysierraleoneonline.com.

The Minister- cum- Diplomat did not divulge details of his deliberations with Akon but said, “Let it suffice to say our talks bordered on my business of energy and were promising for the country’s future development of the sector.”

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