The Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission (LERC) has launched a Regulatory Database Management System worth US$300,000, an initiative supported by the African Development Bank (AFDB).
The system, launched Wednesday, 27, 2024 at the EJS Ministerial Complex in Congo Town, is designed to bolster the LERC’s capabilities in monitoring, collecting, analyzing, and sharing regulatory data and information within the power sector more efficiently and proactively.
AFDB Liberia Country Manager Benedict Knau said the system will better equip LERC to handle consumer complaints and facilitate dispute resolutions between consumers and utility providers seamlessly.
He narrated that the system will promote increased stakeholder engagement and participation in the regulatory decision-making processes, fostering a more collaborative and transparent environment.
“It is worthy to note that the Bank has been at the forefront of mainstreaming electricity regulatory issues within the broader power discourse of Africa. The system being unveiled today stems from the Bank’s flagship Electricity Regulatory Index for Africa (ERI) report,” he revealed.
Kanu stated that as the world embraces the advancements for enhanced efficiency and integrity along the power value chain, it has become imperative for regulatory bodies to digitalize their operations to stay ahead in this evolution.
He indicated that the Bank is funding the implementation of similar initiatives in Ghana, Tanzania, Nigeria, Uganda, and Guinea.
“At the regional level, the Bank is deploying similar digital platforms for regional regulatory entities in COMESA, ECOWAS, SADC, and ECCAS, as part of a regional electricity regulatory harmonization initiative across these regions aimed at facilitating regional electricity trade and exchanges, as envisaged by the African Single Electricity Market (ASEM) initiative of the African Union,” he stated.
Kanu disclosed the bank’s active involvement in three major energy projects, including the Renewable Energy for Electrification in Eastern Liberia (REEL) which is co-financed under the Scaling-Up Renewable Energy Program in Low-Income Countries (SREP), a targeted program of the Strategic Climate Fund (SCF).
He said that the project aims to install a Hydro Plant at Gbedin Water Falls, Nimba County, generating approximately 9MW, along with the construction of distribution networks to provide electricity to the surrounding areas.
Country Manager Kanu added that the power plant will be located on the St. John River in Nimba County and connect to the existing cross-border line between Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire. It is expected to electrify about 100,000 households.
“Additionally, through the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), we are sponsoring two significant projects. The Liberia Energy Efficiency and Access Project (LEEAP) co-financed with the EU under the Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund. LEEAP is constructing a transmission and distribution system in the corridors of the Roberts International Airport (RIA) and Pleebo to Fish Town in Maryland and River Gee Counties,” Kanu said.
For his part, Prince Menkalo Gbieu, Chief of Office Staff of Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung said the electricity sector of Liberia was characterized by the monopoly of the supply of generation, transmission and distribution services where government policymaking, regulatory, and operational functions were not clearly defined.
Gbieu stated that as a result, the national utility, private operators and informal micro-utilities in Liberia are self-regulating with poor quality of service and high cost of electricity services.
Gbieu who spoke on behalf of Vice President Jeremiah Koung, applauded AFDB for their support to the LERC in achieving this major milestone in the history of the energy sector.
He hopes that the LERC’s regulatory database management system will not only provide the commission with the capability to digitally interface with its licenses or service providers and their consumers.
