In December 2004, a UNECA sponsored study conducted by CEMMATS Group Ltd., a local consulting firm, involved various stakeholders in the sector to formulate an energy policy. The CEMMAT’s energy agenda for Sierra Leone in conditions of policy and management represents an important set of instruments that basically encapsulates a multi-disciplinary structure bringing together sectors of the energy community – the Ministry of earth 4 energy scam and Ability (MEP), the Ministry of Deal and Industry, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS), Presidential Petroleum Commission, and the Ministry of Mineral Imaginations (MMR). These line Ministries of relevance to the energy agenda, where their various roles are being specified, have ruled the development of the country’s energy policy. The standard premise of this multi-disciplinary structure is that it is essential for the effective and efficient coordination of the management of the country’s indigenous energy resources. Nonetheless, it voices as though it willed be unattainable to coordinate these so some organisations in a country with a history of corruption and mismanagement. But it is not unusual to have various Ministries workings in coordination to achieve national development aims. Besides, the particular tasks and methods of operation that mold the power of these Ministries to produce the enabling surround for individual concerns to ably conduct value contributed commercial activenesses with the country’s energy resources are defined.

This structure, for instance, positions the Ministry of Energy Ability in a central position as the governmental authorization responsible for the electricity and water sectors and its mandates accepts sector policy formulation, sector designing and coordination. The Ministry is supported by the Office of the Permanent Secretary, the Water Supply Division (WSD), the Radiation Protection Unit, and the National Energy & Water Policy, Planning, and Coordination Unit (NEWPPCU). Below the Ministry’s purview as best is handling issues related to electrical power supply, accepting that from hydroelectric schemes and, nominally renewable energy issues related to solar and wind energy over the utilities companies - the National Ability Authorization (NPA)/Bo-Kenema Ability Functions (BKPS); the Guma Valley Water Company (GVWC); the Sierra Leone Water Company (SALWACO); and the Bumbuna Hydroelectric Project (BHP).

The roles of other Ministries are fixed to handling petroleum selling sales under the purview of the Ministry of Deal and Industry and the Ministry of Finance; biomass matters (plant and animal-derived subject) specially fuel wood handled by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS); and the extraction of minerals, accepting energy related minerals like coal and ore dealt with by the Ministry of Mineral Imaginations (MMR).

The energy sector maintains this organizational structure to develop and implement inter-disciplinary energy-related policies. The functions of these various Ministries and other authorities as they relate to their responsibilities for various energy resources are defined in the germane Acts of Parliament (accessible via government gazettes) and pertinent regulations. Several of the germane Acts let in the NPA Act, 1982; the NPA (Amendment) Act, 2005; Forestry Act, 1998; and the Petroleum Act, 2002. There is also the draft energy policy document set up by CEMMATS which is yet to be acquired. The policy document has been formulated in the context of standard economic, social and environmental policies; mindful as best of the nature and linkages of the energy sector with other sectors; and the international and regional linkages of the sector.

Furthermore, seeing efficiency and economic measure, from an international investor's perspective, inside a system of such complex oversight is took less complex with “the Sierra Leone Export Development and Investment funds Corporation (SLEDIC), a statutory body given by section two of the SLEDIC Act, 1993, with the important objective of facilitating the registration of job enterprises; assisting investors in obtaining permits, licenses, certificates or clearances, as the subject might be, required for the commencement of business; providing information to future investors on issues linking to investment funds; and assisting future investors in describing join venture partners in Sierra Leone”. The priority investment funds areas SLEDIC is promoting thus include:

· Energy and power sector (independent power providers)

· Agriculture and Agro-Processing

· Mining Sector (Kimberlite Mining)

· Petroleum Exploration and Exploitation

· Privatization of state-owned enterprises

· Establishment and development of Export Processing Zone (EPZ)

· Infrastructure (Railway, Roads, Telecommunication, Water Supply) etc.

Sierra Leone is far down the under-exploited trend in conditions of its energy endowment. The fact is, on that point are untapped energy imaginations, that the nation requires these imaginations, and that the energy industry can coordinate the exploitation of these resources with less environmental impact. Sierra Leone’s indigenous energy resources of a renewable nature which let in biomass, solar, wind and hydropower has the future to allow opportunities for Sierra Leonean households at all levels. The country’s biomass volume is about 656,000 lots of crop wastes. It has an annual energy future of 2,700 GWh that can be exploited for cooking, passing and several power applications. A commercially viable biomass supply therefore exists but discussion about biomass facilities has not attracted much discussion and publicity by the government. The Government of Sierra Leone has not earnestly addressed zip, fuel and water efficiency in all sectors of economic activity, and has not industrialized capacities for optimal use of average resources for sustainable biomass (unicellular-energy crops-residues-waste). But notwithstanding its lack of interest in bio-prospecting, the government is not working to stand in the way if orthodox biomass firms in Europe and the United States are involved in producing this future in Sierra Leone.

The country also has a solar radiation future of between 1460 kWh/m2/yr and 1800 kWh/m2/yr annually. This can be exploited for passing and water pumping, among other applications. These resources allow an intriguing glimpse of a nation that mightiness have got a sustainable supply of power and lucrative exploitation of its promising energy imaginations, got energy efficiency remained a core value of the country after independence. The goal for sustained economic growing and development should be seen in conditions of handling the flooded utilization of these resources.

The hydro future in the country has also been an epic chronicle. The net of rivers in the country allows an chance for hydroelectricity with over 21 internet sites already identified as capable of developing future hydro ability. The conservatively estimated output at 1,200MW, recorded in the 1996 Ability Sector Master Plan by Lahmeyer International, is necessitated by the country’s extensive net of rivers and tributaries. The completion of the current Bumbuna picture (Phase I electrical capacity 50 MW, total electrical capacity 275 MW) and the envisaged Bekongor picture (Bekongor III electrical capacity 85 MW, total electrical capacity 200 MW) – two of the some great projects that are economically exploitable – is good for the development of the country and for Sierra Leone occupations. But the political would has to be on that point to have the Bumbuna picture to 100% completion. There is also the need to produce the supporting surround for individual companies to put in mini-hydro, or "run-of-the-river" hydro power stations. The Bumbuna picture, which “can eventually become the backbone of a national grid, has the future to gain a substantial optimistic affect on the national electricity supply” (CEMMAT Policy Document, 2004).

In conditions of power infrastructure, the national power stations in the major cities and towns, which are really a collection of regional power stations, requires some new infrastructure and new minds. “Most of the provincial stations and networks are in a state of total disrepair. The cost took to have them backward to their pre-1994 points is estimated at Euro 13 million” (CEMMAT Policy Document, 2004). The Bo-Kenema Ability Functions (BKPS) which has a mixed hydro-thermal operation capacities of 5MW and 4MW at Bo and Dodo (Kenema) respectively faces the same management problems with its commercial procedures as NPA. Rural electricity supply is non-existent. A new electricity policy is overdue, though the specifics matter, the CEMMATS draft on energy policy is instructive in this respect.

There are fairly quantified fossil fuels (hydrocarbons) with commercial value in Sierra Leone. These let in important ignite deposits and crude oil which have not been exploited. These fossil resources have not been the right way assessed to determine their future value for practical and lucrative exploration. Though earlier administrations got provided to sell concessions for prospecting for oil and other worthy mineral resources in the country, on that point got constantly been institutional secrecy surrounding the future existence of oil as a source of riches origination for Sierra Leone. “The location, extent, and quality of the find have remained a subject of uninformed speculation, intense curiosity, and often-wild conjecture. It is a state of affairs to which some official secrecy and the lack of transparency in the conduct of public affairs in Sierra Leone have largely contributed” (Focus Sierra Leone). The Petroleum Imaginations Unit, under the authorization of the current President and headed by a Director–General continues to oversee the possibilities of exploration of these petroleum resources specially with European and/or American investment funds companies. It is the position of the government of President Koroma that whatsoever economic profits that are connected to the exploration of fossil fuels should be in the interest of national growth.

Serious governance groups and the peoples roundly criticized earlier administrations for inadequate measures on energy supplies in the country. Past administrations failed to put serious bucks in the energy sector where they willed have got a direct affect on advancing sufficient and sustainable supply of electricity in the country. More than opportunities could also have been created to effectively stand other kinds of renewable zip. All in all, the energy future is undoubtedly great. But more emphasis has to be placed on a more investment-friendly energy policy, particularly on opening the energy market place to huge greatest investment funds and broadening incentives for investment. The world is, on that point is the need (the market place) for more domestic energy and more imported zip.

The best endowments in the energy industry have to be accessed and retained to coordinate and efficiently manage an A+ energy program for Sierra Leone. The country requires a balance of vision in the shape of a grand scheme to curtail the difficulties the country faces with commercial energy supplies, particularly electricity supply. Attainable short-, medium-, and long-term steps to have the country on that point have to be practically laid out. And spell the grand scheme is being put in place, the government should not break to connect energy to climate transfer. Global warming has proved to be as horrendous a global take exception as the War on Terror.

Capital Investment funds and the Energy Market place

Certainly, one major factor for winning energy policy and management is financial resources. But the energy sector in Sierra Leone struggles with fixed budgets and inadequate legislation that has not granted for the growing of the energy sector, let only allow a sustainable supply of electricity to the urban and rural customers. Clearly, over the years, earlier administrations were not in a position where they could open to sagely put or even produce an enabling surround for outside investment funds in the energy sector merely because of widespread corruption in public administration. The National Ability Authority, for instance, has unpaid debts of Le23.4 billion and unpaid client bills of Le16.2 billion as best as fuel bills to petroleum companies of Le8 billion. The utility authorization also has a defective transmission and distribution system with 35% technical reds; and an electricity drop from 28MW from 5 diesel engines to 6MW from one diesel engine among other troubles.

Another logistical challenges let in the procurement, storage and transportation of petroleum wares. “Sierra Leone is nearly entirely dependent on imports for all its petroleum requires and machinery as best as spare parts” (CEMMAT Policy Document, 2004). Petroleum products are transported by road utilizing tankers. The poor state of the roads exacerbates several problems with transportation.

In addition, increasing monetary funds devoted to energy supply has entirely helped comparatively little, given the impoverished state of the country. Sierra Leone makes have a smaller Gross National Ware (GNP) with sums allocated to the sector way considerably less than investment funds took by countries with larger GNPs. However, it is not entirely the total amount of money from the GNP that counts, but also how that GNP allocation is supplemented by outside direct investment funds and how such investment funds in the sector are passed.

Besides, it is viable for the government to find monetary funds to stand its energy sector. In 2001, for instance, the Public Bank Group monetary funds estimated at US$7.5 million were took available to the government of Sierra Leone under former President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah to buy a new engine to increase electricity capacity. But a used and poorly rebuilt 7.5 megawatts diesel engine was acquired.

And rather recently, “coinciding with the see of the President of Sierra Leone to the UK, Douglas Alexander, the Secretary of State for International Development announced two softwares of assistance to Sierra Leone totaling £36 million [– with] £20 million to stand the building over of energy sector in Sierra Leone [that] should allow a sustainable electricity supply to the one million residents of Freetown and allow passing and power for health centers, water pumping stations, colleges and police stations” (Press Release).

In view of all these possibilities, a perennial matter that must be addressed in say to shape a sustainable electrical capacity in the energy sector is a change of mentality in society and among decision-makers. “No capacity-building initiatives would succeed if governments and the public are not saw to change the situation” (Embo Reports). Now on that point is hope with the new democratic dispensation. On assumption of office, President Koroma took a pronouncement that energy is his topmost priority. To a great extent, Koroma’s Government is therefore supportive of greatest investment funds in the energy sector. May be, what the Koroma administration also requires to do is to stand a clear energy sector initiative in electrical capacity building by addressing the problem of proper allocation of monetary funds and handling a sustainable energy supply mechanism.

The scheme already being pursued by the Koroma administration which is the actualization of an “energy stimulus plan” for Freetown and the entire country is commendable. A Presidential Emergency Labor Force has been created to oversee the increase of electricity electrical capacity in the country. Values have also been made to require individual concerns in the energy sector. Two 48MW available power producer (IPP) contracts with the Nigerian investment funds company Income Electrix and the US investment funds company DELAMORE have lately been signed by the Sierra Leone Government to add to the electrical capacity of electricity supply. Income Electrix has already embarked equipment and mobilizing to commission a 10MW generator at Black Hall Route to supply electricity to the east piece of Freetown. A Sierra Leone Government partnership with the Nigerian company Income Electrix is a good investment funds scheme for some countries. Even though Nigeria’s focus on being a taking saving via its oil industry has its challenges, Nigeria’s share of global oil reserves is rather impressive. The take exception for Nigeria’s oil exploitation is not a scarcity of world-scale oil reservoirs, rather it is linking those oil reserves to long-term client loyalties and the greatest took to shape oil refineries or multi-thousand knot pipelines. Nigeria’s oil reserves produce a terrific chance to align and integrate with Africa, rather than holding Africa hostage to scarcity. A great piece of any diplomacy with Nigeria should focus on helping Nigeria to see the profits of such a relationship.

By and large, Sierra Leone’s energy “industry shows the future to contribute as much as Le 46 billion (approximately US$ 16 million) annually to government revenue in conditions of Excise Tax and Route Users Tax” (CEMMAT Policy Document, 2004). The future is remarkable even when the need for energy in the industrial and commercial sectors is mainly met by self auto-generation which has negative economic consequences. Michael Conteh, resident technical consultant who is playing a coordinating role in the Ministry of Energy and Ability and its relations to the other Ministries and utility companies as best as monitoring the power system and providing technical advice to the ministry has spoken rather reassuringly about the under-exploited state of Sierra Leone’s vast energy potential. According to his masterful noesis of the energy sector, “currently, on that point are zero softwares in the country for subsidiary energies. Sierra Leone’s energy mix is very restricted. Apart from cooking that is about 95% dependent on biomass, Sierra Leone is nearly 100% dependent on imported petroleum products and electricity for all its energy needs.” Again, restoring the procedures of the Sierra Leone Petroleum Refinery Corporation (SLPRC) which has a distillation future electrical capacity of 700,000 metric lots has the possibilities of establishing more revenue for the government. The corporation takes healthy investment funds to sustain its distillation capacity. Bringing together the 5 petroleum major outside oil and oil services companies operating in the country namely Mobil, National Petroleum Company (NP), Safecon, Unipetrol and Leonoil, and/or other investors inside the SLPRC is critical to revamp the refinery’s procedures and to invigorate the market's potential future and stimulating the raise of choices.

The structure of energy royalties is spelt out in the Local Government Act, 2004 (Local Government Act, 2004). But Sierra Leone’s energy sector, with its multifaceted mix of public and individual actors, has a bleak history of weak monitoring, low transparency, and inadequate civil function get and gains; and incentives for illicit get are rife. The sector has the future to give important money transactions compared with other services and infrastructure sectors such as water and sanitation or use of roads. But the average kinds of corruption plaguing the sector involves petty corruption which is prevalent at the interface with clients when bribes are paid to or demanded by meter reviewers or safety inspectors and illicit sales event of fuel oils. There are also some illegal connections by low-income as best as high-income households and commercial establishments. The aggregate affect of “petty corruption” might be far from petty because losses might amount to more than $10 million each year. Inadequate revenue collection and other corrupt practices lead to deteriorating function with frequent blackouts and supply interruptions.

The viability of the energy sector thus involves a strategic study of the complex schemes of sustainable power supply and revenue collection. Governments can act decisively to deal with corruption in the energy sector—most involving privatization, competition, more transparent regulations, and more disclosure. Reforms in the energy sector can be in the shape of marketings particular activenesses such as the energy distribution system utilizing prepaid meters to strategic investors with a tested track record and a long-term interest in the job. The prepaid meter system presently piloted in Freetown has the future to increase revenue collection and reduce corruption in the sector. About 2000 prepaid meters are presently in function. The government has contracted the Chinese investment funds company, the Sierra Leone Gouji Investment funds and Development, Ltd. for supply of 100,000 prepaid meters. “Chinese mold in the investment funds climate is growing steady [superseding European and US investment funds] to the extent that a Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry was established in 2005. The government has been supportive of Chinese investment funds initiatives, apparently because of some years of Chinese government assistance to Sierra Leone. The Bintumani Hotel, ravaged by invading rebels in 1999, is on lease for 25 years to Beijing Construction. The Chinese have transformed a former house for the displaced, the National Workshop, into a showpiece tractor-assembly plant [from which the Gouji prepaid meters being piloted in Freetown are also distributed]” (African Review of Business and Technology). Nevertheless, a new Sierra Leone under President Koroma is today open for job and the reforms in the energy sector the new administration is advancing let in as best more transparent market place regulations and coordinating an available regulatory body with more presidential oversight to oversee the efficient management of a more creative energy sector.

Causes to address energy supply and coordination challenges should be placed in a great policy framework that addresses other social matters. More than notably, such schemes should be piece of policies designed to use modern and efficient energy services to achieve sustainable development goals. Adequate resources ought to be took available for investment funds in oil exploration and development activenesses and on that point has to be investor-friendly legal and regulatory framework to attract oil exploration companies. There are matters of supply and storage limitations for various petroleum products and the necessity to re-launch refining operation in the country. And when clear and unified standards for operating retail outlets are also put in place, get at to modern and efficient energy resources is ensured.