—As Monrovia Sleeps In Darkness
IPNEWS: Since 2021, Mr. Monie Captan assumed the role as Chairman of the Board and chief executive officer, of the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), promising to restore Liberia’s energy sector that continued to be marred by inefficiency and skepticism.
Businesses and ordinary citizens since the emergence of the Joseph Boakai government continued to suffered the hardship of electricity under the leadership of Mr. Monie Captan, backtracking from previous years former President George Manneh Weah.
The capital, Monrovia, still in darkness, described as one of the darkest capital cities in the world, despite evolving Government of Liberia’s consistent promises of increasing access to the Liberia Electricity Corporation’s powerhouse for many poor communities in Monrovia and its environs.
The average Liberian child born in the 1980s does not know about stable electricity.
As President Boakai, former Presidents Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, and George Manneh Weah made electricity a premium in their platforms, promising to restore power to the city and nearby suburbs when voted to power.
Eventually after her win in 2005 election, former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf attached a timeline to her pledge, promising to electrify Monrovia within six months when elected under the slogan “Small Light Today, Big Light Tomorrow”. This campaign she said was intended to provide electricity for Monrovia and environs to be followed by other parts of the country, even though $202 out of a total of $257 million was spent under the MCC Liberia compact.
As we speak, Liberia’s capital Monrovia remains in darkness casting discomfort on the credibility and inefficiency of Mr. Monie Captan, as CEO of the LEC.
Across Monrovia, darkness covers every street corner amidst roaming drug users and hidden criminals. Parts of Monrovia remains dark nearly two months after Monrovia enjoyed relatively electricity under former President George Weah just few months after electricity power was restored to parts of the city under the government’s Emergence Power Program (EPP), implemented by the Liberia Electricity Corporation in collaboration with some international donors.
Prior to its election, the then opposition Unity Party, now government, promised to rescue Liberia, and begin to rebuild by strengthening the various institutions and fast-tracking development in all sectors of the economy.
Mr. Captan, upon takeover at LEC, designed a project code named “Energy Project” to generate low-cost power, improve the quality and reliability of the power system, and expand access to electricity to no avail, sparking concerns across the country of Mr. Captan’s ability to managed the affairs of the LEC in affordable power generation and supply.
Captan Energy Project comprises Activity 1, Rehabilitation of the Mt. Coffee Hydro Power Plant (MCHPP) ($147 million), and Activity 2, Capacity Strengthening and Sector Reform, which includes two Sub-activities: (1) strengthening the capabilities of the utility with a management services contract (MSC) for the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) ($12.2 million), and (2) supporting the establishment of an independent electricity regulator, the Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission (LERC) ($3.35 million).
This MCC’s theory has not worked in addressing three main causes of Liberia’s unreliable and unaffordable grid electricity.
Insufficient supply, weak sector capacity, and an inadequate policy and regulatory environment continue to overwhelmed the energy sector.
Amidst the darkness and insufficiency of electricity in Monrovia and its environs, Mr. Captan has leveled blames shifting on others for his underachiever by pointing fingers at long-time energy expert, Christopher Z. Neyor.
But Mr. Neyor, former Boss of the Natioal Oil Company of Liberia, and Energy Adviser to former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, now fires Back at Mr. Cpatan and his underrated LEC.
In an open letter to Mr. Monie Captan, Mr. Christopher Z. Neyor, stated that he was taken aback of his name being repeatedly mentioned about the LEC performance when he has not opted for a job at the LEC since the inception of the Boakai’s government.
However, he thinks that if Mr. Monie Captan and his current team of Managers at the LEC would listen to professional advices, the electricity challenge of Liberia would be addressed.
“I’m at a loss as to how my name is entangled in the ongoing national conversation about LEC performance. There has been mud thrown at me seemingly from all sides of those who advocate for the current CEO Monie Captan to stay and those who consider him a problem and want him out. The FACT of the matter is I’ve never sought or lobbied for a job at the LEC directly or indirectly neither will I accept one if offered. Being in a leadership position at the LEC is the furthest thing on my mind.”
“Having made this clarification doesn’t mean I cannot help guide execution of solution we already know to the myriad problems besetting LEC if those in charge would listen to and follow the road map crafted by experts. The solution to our various sectoral problems lies in mustering the political will and putting into leadership positions the best among us with the required skill set to solve those problems. That’s what RESCUE should be all about.” Mr Chris Neyor letter dated February 29, 2024, stated.
It may be recalled, few months after the depletion of the e $202 million Energy Project founds, Mr. Captan, and figures of the Weah’s government designed another plan stating that the LEC is up to 20% revenue undercut due to theft.
“One of the key challenges we face in trying to connect people is that of all the power that the LEC generates, not less than 20% is lost due to theft, that’s like about 20,000 connections that we cannot make because the power is being stolen,” said Minister Sendolo.
“It is robbing everybody not of connections, but also affects the cost of electricity because that power is going for free; that power LEC will not get money from and therefore you will not see the reduction in your tariffs that we are all trying to achieve.” Former Minister of Lands Mines and Energy Sendolo stated.
LEC itself raddled in series of coordinated power theft, with some employees of the entity involved with private connections.
An IPNEWS investigation has shown that the primary challenge to energy access in Liberia is the limited and underdeveloped energy infrastructure. The lack of adequate power generation, transmission, and distribution systems contributes to this low access rate.
