Liberia took its energy ambitions to the global stage at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum in New York, where Minister of Mines and Energy R. Matenokay Tingban made an urgent appeal for financing. Under the country’s Mission 300 Energy Compact, Liberia needs roughly US$1.25 billion to expand electricity access to 75 percent of its population by 2030, up from the current 38 percent.
Speaking on Sustainable Development Goal 7, Tingban framed energy as the foundation of national development. ‘I speak for a nation that has known the dark, and has chosen to reach for the light,’ he declared. He highlighted that electricity access has reached 38 percent, with 146 megawatts of installed capacity, but acknowledged a seasonal gap of 72 megawatts during the dry season due to reliance on hydropower.
To close the gap, Tingban outlined a plan centered on solar power with battery storage, expansion of the Mount Coffee hydropower plant, and regional hydropower integration. He noted that Liberia has identified over 1,000 megawatts of new solar and hydropower potential. The minister also announced a new national clean-cooking strategy targeting 200,000 households by 2030.
Tingban invited concessional finance and blended investment, stating, ‘For every megawatt we add brings another Liberian town out of the dark. Liberia is reaching for the light. I ask this assembly to reach back.’ The appeal now rests with international donors and financiers to determine whether the vision becomes reality.
Article and image source: analystliberiaonline.com
