By Austine Luseni
Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Sierra Leone, Wang Qing, has reiterated his country’s commitment to strengthening and deepening bilateral relations with Sierra Leone by supporting the country’s development aspirations.
Ambassador Wang Qing was speaking during a courtesy call on Energy Sector Lead, Dr. Kandeh Yumkella where he said his country was pleased with the way the bilateral relations between China and Sierra Leone had blossomed.
He said he was happy to engage Dr. Yumkella in what he described as a fruitful or productive, and mutually beneficial meeting, noting that the Sector Lead has made a name and reputation for himself and Sierra Leone at the global level and therefore had no misconceptions about his ability or capacity to deliver.
The Chinese Ambassador said he was at the Ministry so that they could explore areas of intervention and cooperation, adding that possibilities of interventions exist in the areas of renewable energy, hydropower, education, and transmission and distribution infrastructure.
Responding, Energy Sector Lead, Dr. Kandeh Yumkella,thanked the Ambassador on behalf of President Julius Maada Bio, stressing that his sector was more than ready to collaborate with China with the view to realizing President Bio’s energy sovereignty aspirations.
Dr. Yumkella gave an overview of the country’s energy landscape and endeavors.
“We have a lot of problems to solve. The energy sector, as it is in other countries, is always complicated. It needs a clear political will, and that is why the President is holding on to the portfolio.
“We have developed an energy transition plan and are putting together a 10-year vision that will address critical short-term, medium-term, and long-term issues of generation, transmission, hydropower electricity, tariff structure, and structural and policy reforms,” he said.
He spoke about plans to have as many mini-grids as possible in the country and the connection of mining sites to the grid to boost the extractive industry.
“Very soon, we shall work on a China-Sierra Leone Energy Roundtable,” he concluded.
With the energy sector and the Feed Salone agenda being inextricably linked, reforms continue in the sector.
