The Sierra Leone Electricity and Water Regulatory Commission (SLEWRC) has successfully concluded its landmark nationwide popularization roadshow for the updated Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO) tool, moving directly from high-level policy rooms into village halls. The Commission, in partnership with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), European Union (EU), and PivotPath, held rigorous and impactful town hall meetings and radio discussion programs in five regional convergence headquarters: Moyamba, Korinbondo (Bo District), Kono, Makeni, and Foredugu. The initiative represents a fundamental shift from opaque and unpredictable pricing for mini-grid electricity tariffs to an independent, strictly data- driven pricing mechanism that protects rural consumers and ensures operators’ viability.
The engagement in the provinces gave a first-hand insight into the day-to-day infrastructural pains of rural electricity consumers. In Moyamba, residents vented out their concerns and grievances against Power Leone as an operator serving in these communities for a month- long total blackout in Gbangbatoke, and faulty meters that billed consumers during outages. Communities in Korinbondo stated that the fast population growth has completely overwhelmed existing solar arrays, while mini-grid electricity poles are stranded by ongoing road construction work, dangerously leaving the poles in the middle of the newly paved roads. As the roadshow community engagement intensifies in Kono, Makeni, and Feredugu, consumers in these communities have strongly criticised the use of “blind meters” and are advocating for readable meters, meters that they can see how their credit tokens are used.
Technical site technicians also reported severe system communication breakdowns between gateways and servers that led to arbitrary billing errors.
This roadshow community engagement exercise has established that tariffs will have to be consistent with locally relevant work streams, thorough maintenance schedules, and unambiguous accountability.
The Commission is entering this tariff review period between 2026 and 2031, committed to ensuring that regulations reflect real-world impacts and advance fair, transparent and sustainable rural electricity delivery.
Consumers with concerns or complaints about unauthorised meter charges can contact the SLEWRC Consumer Protection Hotline (+23278359299) for assistance and reporting.
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