Africa-Press – Liberia. Liberia’s Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung has reiterated the government’s unwavering commitment to bolstering the energy sector to attract investment and foster economic growth.
Addressing attendees through a proxy at the launch of the Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (LERC) database management system on Wednesday, VP Koung acknowledged the significant challenges facing the sector. He emphasized the government’s determination to address these challenges and improve the lives of citizens.
VP Koung emphasized that enhancing the energy sector is crucial for attracting investments, stimulating private sector growth, and achieving economic progress. He commended the Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission (LERC) for its continuous efforts to enhance Liberia’s energy sector.
Highlighting the government’s ARREST agenda, which focuses on Agriculture, Roads, Rule of Law, Education, Sanitation, and Tourism, VP Koung underscored the importance of capacity building and institutional strengthening. These efforts are aimed at developing essential infrastructures for efficient government service delivery.
The launch of LERC’s regulatory database management system exemplifies the Government of Liberia’s commitment to enhancing public institutions by leveraging IT-based infrastructure for modern business processes and transactions.
VP Koung expressed the government’s commitment to collaborating with LERC and its partners to enhance the capacity of Ministries, Agencies, and Commissions (MACS) responsible for planning, resource mobilization, and project management.
He praised the African Development Bank for its support in achieving this milestone and expressed optimism that the LERC regulatory database management system would facilitate digital interactions with licensees and consumers. Additionally, it would strengthen Liberia’s electricity regulatory framework within the sub-regional context, aligning with ECOWAS’s efforts towards a unified electricity market.
The Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission, established under the 2015 Electricity Law, plays a vital role in regulating the electricity supply industry, including licensing operators, approving tariffs, and resolving service-related disputes.
Dr. Lawrence D. Sekajipo, Chairman of the LERC Board of Commissioners, emphasized the system’s role in enhancing service efficiency and regulatory effectiveness. The system, funded by the African Development Bank, will enable accurate data management, quality-of-service monitoring, and streamlined complaint resolution processes, he said.
He added that the system provides a custom web and mobile solution that will enable collection by authorized entities such as staff, licensees, statutory bodies data and other partners for storage and analysis to ensure efficient and effective business processes and regulatory decision making.
As the Commission embarks on the implementation of its Five-Year Strategic Plan (2023 – 2027), the LERC’s Chairman noted that automating its internal processes using the Regulatory Data Base Management System enables the commission to improve operational efficiency, achieve higher productivity and reduce turnaround times in business processes to attain the targets set in the strategic Plan.
“The system, which contains web-based and mobile data collection capabilities such as data visualization, data collection tool and the generation of user-friendly ad hoc reports and insights is a significant boost to the energy sector of Liberia,” he said.
Mr. Benedict Kanu, AfDB Country Manager for Liberia highlighted the system’s US$300,000 investment, emphasizing its role in improving data collection, analysis, and stakeholder engagement within the power sector.
The system, Kanue noted, is designed to bolster the LERC’s capabilities in monitoring, collecting, analyzing and sharing regulatory data and information within the power sector in a more efficient and proactive manner.
By implementing the system, he said the LERC will be better equipped to handle consumer complaints and facilitate dispute resolutions between consumers and utility providers seamlessly.
Additionally, the RDBMS will promote increased stakeholder engagement and participation in the regulatory decision-making processes, fostering a collaborative more and transparent regulatory environment.
He added that the AfDB has been at the forefront of mainstreaming electricity regulatory issues within the broader power discourse of Africa, adding that the system being unveiled today stems from the Bank’s flagship Electricity Regulatory Index for Africa (ERI) report.
At the event, key service providers commended LERC for its efforts.
Monie Captan, CEO of the Liberia Electricity Corporation hailed the success at the LERC to its highly trained and qualified professionals.
Floyd Tomah of Jungle Energy acknowledged the system’s potential to improve regulatory processes and stakeholder collaboration, but continued guidance and support from the regulator.
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