Sierra Leone’s electricity crisis, marked by erratic supply and state debt with Karpowership, may seem like a technical or economic issue. But beneath the surface, it’s a gendered crisis—one that is silently deepening inequality and placing a disproportionate burden on women and girls.
When Karpowership cut power in Freetown from roughly 65 MW to as little as 6 MW in recent months, entire communities were transformed by darkness. Energy Minister Kanja Sesay relinquished his role amid rising public fury, and President Bio personally intervened, mobilising payments of USD 17–36 million to restore the supply. Power returned, but the blackout’s shockwaves have lingered, especially within homes.
In households without reliable electricity, women absorb the extra burden. Girls skip homework at night. Mothers spend hours cooking on smoky charcoal stoves or fetching water from distant wells. Refrigerators spoil medication and perishables, such as fish, meat, and pepper sauce. Working women can no longer preserve meals. Meanwhile, small businesses run by women, such as tailors, hairdressers, and market traders, face income loss.
The disruption isn’t only economic, it’s personal. In the darkness, women face amplified security risks: the threat of assault during evening travel, unsafe access to communal toilets, and heightened psychological anxiety. Studies show that a lack of power correlates with increased gender-based violence, but in Sierra Leone, this trend is being overlooked.
If the new round of power cuts announced by the Ministry of Energy from June 12th, kicks off as planned, women will once again suffer the brunt of it. This will be more than just another blackout—it will be another cycle of compounded burdens for the same group of people who are always expected to adjust, cope, and fill in the gaps. The long nights, the losses in food and earnings, the stress of unsafe streets and dark homes, all of it will continue, disproportionately impacting those who are already stretched thin.
While the state rushes to renegotiate Karpowership terms and pursue alternative energy, the solution space remains focused on technical fixes. That’s essential, but missing is a gender lens. What would it take to prioritise decentralised solar systems in women-headed households? To subsidise clean cookstoves so women aren’t inhaling toxic smoke during prolonged outages?
We must advocate for energy strategies rooted in real people’s lives: gender-responsive subsidies that prioritise solar lanterns, rechargeable batteries, and clean cookstoves in women’s households and informal markets; community power hubs—safe, solar-powered kiosks, where women can charge phones, store food, or work after dark; and inclusion in energy planning. Women in rural and peri-urban areas need a seat at the table when renegotiating terms with Karpowership, because they bear the brunt of every blackout.
President Bio deserves credit for mobilising interventions and financial engagement at the highest level. But leadership is both restorative and preventative. If the government continues to rely on contracted floating power, it must embed safeguards for the most vulnerable, especially women.
Dear Alhaji Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella
Every minute without light is a missed lesson, a stalled business, an unsafe walk home. These are not abstract numbers on a bill; they are broken routines and shattered lives. Sierra Leone’s energy narrative cannot be divorced from its gender narrative. Until it isn’t, we’re leaving half our society in the dark twice over.
I NOW CALL FOR ACTION!
Let’s advocate for gender-primary budgeting in energy deals, support solar equity pilots, and incorporate women’s voices into every energy negotiation. She deserves more than a promise of light; she deserves power.
About the Author
Lolo Yeama Sarah Thompson-Oguamah, popularly known as Yeama Sarah Thompson, is a veteran journalist, media development expert, and a leading voice on media literacy and strategic communications in West Africa. She served as Commissioner of the Right to Access Information Commission for the Western and Southern regions of Sierra Leone, where she championed transparency, open data and open governance.
She is currently the Managing Director of the Sierra Leone News Agency (SLENA), Founder and CEO of Initiatives for Media Development (IMdev), and Publisher of Salone Fact Checker—Sierra Leone’s first dedicated fact-checking platform. Additionally, she serves as the Focal Person for the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP) in Sierra Leone. This global initiative tracks and analyses gender representation in news content and newsroom leadership. Through this role, she advocates for gender-sensitive reporting and increased visibility of women’s voices and perspectives in the media.
With over two decades of experience in journalism, policy advocacy, and institution-building, Yeama continues to shape the media landscape through innovation, mentorship, and bold leadership, ensuring that media not only informs, but also transforms societies.