Sierra Leone: $480 million for an energy and productive revolution under President Maada Bio
Sierra Leone is taking a decisive step in its development strategy with the signing of a $480 million Compact with the United States’ Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). This partnership, formalized in December 2025, targets the expansion and modernization of the national electricity grid, an essential prerequisite for the country’s industrialization.
The project involves the strengthening of transmission and distribution infrastructure, with the construction of new substations and the extension of the network to connect currently unserved areas. Currently, only 30 per cent of Sierra Leoneans have access to electricity, and this rate drops to 8 per cent in rural areas. The goal of the Compact is to increase this rate to 78% by 2030, as part of the Mission 300 initiative.
For President Julius Maada Bio, this investment is much more than an energy project. It forms the basis of its vision of productive and inclusive development. « Electricity is the fuel of development. Without reliable energy, there are no factories, no jobs, no economic transformation, » he said at the signing ceremony. This link between energy and industry is at the heart of the ARREST Agenda, the government’s development strategy.
The new energy infrastructure is expected to support the government’s priority sectors: agribusiness, with local processing of agricultural products; the manufacturing industry, which will finally be able to function without the chronic cuts that handicap production; and digital services, whose growth is conditioned by stable electricity connectivity. The modernization of the grid will also facilitate the integration of renewable energies and reduce technical losses.
This Compact is part of a broader strategy to mobilize financing for infrastructure: the United States has also allocated $25 million for the training of young entrepreneurs, while the EU has released €60 million for the transparency of public finances. By focusing on electrification as a lever for productive transformation, Julius Maada Bio is laying the foundations for a Sierra Leone that will no longer be just a consumer, but a creator of wealth.
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