Africa-Press – Sierra-Leone. Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to Morocco, Alhaji Momodu Koroma, met with Dr. Leila Benali, Morocco’s Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, to discuss opportunities for bilateral cooperation in energy transition and sustainable development.
The meeting focused on potential collaboration in areas such as renewable energy, rural electrification, and sustainable mineral management. Both parties agreed on the importance of knowledge exchange and institutional partnerships.
A key topic was the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between Sierra Leone and Morocco regarding energy cooperation, which involves the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN) and the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE). Ambassador Koroma invited representatives from those agencies to visit Sierra Leone for an on-ground assessment.
The Ambassador further expressed Sierra Leone’s interest in the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline project, which aims to connect Nigeria to Morocco and supply gas across West Africa and into Europe. The MOU was signed on December 5, 2022, in Rabat, and the pipeline is projected to cost $25 billion, providing energy to approximately 340 million people and reducing gas flaring in the region.
The discussions also focused on Morocco’s initiatives for regional integration and South-South cooperation, particularly under King Mohammed VI. Those include the Africa-Atlantic Gas Pipeline and the broader Africa-Atlantic Initiative.
Ambassador Koroma reiterated the commitment of both nations to strengthen their bilateral ties and enhance cooperation for mutual benefit.
Access to energy is a major challenge for the Sierra Leonean government. Only a handful of citizens have access to electricity in the West African nation. Data from 2021 indicates that less than 30 percent of the population has access to electricity. In the rural parts, the situation is worse, with 4.9 percent have access to electricity.
The government aims to increase access to rural parts of the country in a bid to achieve near-universal electrification by 2030. The strategy is focusing on expanding mini-grids in the rural areas.
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