New Minister, Same Blackout
BLACKOUT HELL IN PORTEE & ENVIRONS
…Over 2 Weeks in Uninterrupted Darkness
By Ibrahim Alusine Kamara (Kamalo)
Residents of Brima Lane, Portee and Rokupa have entered their third week without electricity, following what the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA) described as a burnt breaker at the Portee sub-station, a fault that has plunged entire neighbourhoods into darkness with no clear resolution in sight.
The outage, which began more than two weeks ago, has forced households, petty traders, shops, bars, and local health facilities to rely on costly generators, kerosene lamps, and charcoal, as temperatures rise during the dry season.
“EDSA said a breaker burnt, but they haven’t fixed it. We are just living in darkness,” said a shop owner at Brima Lane. “We are losing business every single day.”
Despite public awareness of the technical failure, residents say there has been no visible effort to repair the sub-station equipment. Community leaders claim the affected neighbourhoods have received only vague assurances from EDSA staff and elected representatives.
Observers note that the current situation is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of seasonal power failures in Sierra Leone, particularly during the dry months when hydro capacity drops.
Yet, analysts argue that generation shortages do not explain the recurring collapse of the distribution network, which is often blamed on burnt transformers, overloaded feeders, vandalism, and ageing infrastructure.
“Every year we see millions pumped into the energy sector, but the distribution network remains fragile and prone to collapse,” said a local energy consultant on condition of anonymity.
A government expenditure report shows that the energy sector has consistently received substantial allocations, along with support from international partners. However, critics say that bureaucratic inefficiencies, slow procurement processes, and short-term fixes have prevented meaningful progress.
The revolving leadership in the sector — from ministers to EDSA managers — has done little to change the outcomes.
“New people take over, promises are made, but the system remains the same,” said a resident of Rokupa. “We suffer every year.”
The economic impact of the outage has been immediate.
Small businesses that depend on electricity for refrigeration, welding, carpentry, and printing have either shut down operations or are running expensive back-up generators, cutting into their already thin margins.
A fish seller at Portee Wharf said she has thrown away three days’ worth of stock, describing it as a total loss.
“We are buying ice every day just to survive. It’s too much,” she lamented.
Residents also report a rise in petty theft, especially in poorly lit alleys and market areas. School children preparing for examinations are forced to study under candles or at homes with generators — a luxury most families cannot afford.
When contacted, EDSA officials confirmed the fault but declined to commit to a timeline for full restoration, citing procurement delays and technical assessments.
A brief notice published last week promised that teams were working to address “faults affecting the Portee and adjacent communities,” but residents say they have not seen work teams on the ground.
Calls for a ministerial intervention have gone unanswered, prompting accusations that authorities are out of touch with the daily struggles of low-income communities.
Energy analysts say the Portee outage symbolizes a systemic crisis, not a one-off disaster.
While attention is often placed on generation capacity, Sierra Leone’s distribution infrastructure remains outdated, poorly maintained, and expensive to repair when faults occur.
The result is a network where one burnt breaker can paralyse thousands, with repair timelines stretching from weeks to months.
Critics argue that without long-term investments, better supervision, and transparency, the blackouts will persist — regardless of how much money is spent or how many leaders are replaced.
As residents enter another week of darkness, frustration is turning to anger. Community leaders are considering petitions to EDSA and local authorities but express little confidence that it will change anything.
“We don’t want explanations anymore,” said a Rokupa youth leader. “We want electricity. We want a solution.”
For now, the lights remain off, the generators continue to rumble, and the people of Brima Lane, Portee and Rokupa are left waiting — in the dark — for a fix that may still be far away.