The Executive Chairman of the Petroleum Regulatory Agency (PRA), Brima Baluwa Koroma, has appealed for the strategic partnership and collaboration to ensure that the adoption and penetration of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is increased in Sierra Leone and West Africa.
He made the appeal at a two-day conference held in Dakar, Senegal, on Promoting Liquefied Petroleum Gas as Clean Energy in West Africa.
During his keynote presentation at this year’s Dakar Expo, Brima Baluwa Koroma underscored Sierra Leone Government’s commitment to increase energy access with reliable and cleaner energy sources. He highlighted the gains which President Julius Maada Bio achieved this year in the energy sector with the launch of a US$412 million energy project for a 126.7-MW electricity with West Africa LNG and combined cycle power plant project in Freetown.
The PRA Executive Chairman emphasized the ongoing government initiatives, including awareness raising campaigns, deforestation reduction strategies, and investment potentials in the LPG sector.
Though Sierra Leone currently exports 600mt LPG to Liberia and Guinea annually, Market penetration is still less than 12% in Sierra Leone.
Chairman Baluwa Koroma passionately reiterated the Agency’s collaborative efforts to increase awareness level and consumption of LPG with various Ministries, Departments and Agencies in Sierra Leone through various platforms (Social Media, Print, Electronic Media and Community Engagement) in order to ensure that every Sierra Leonean has access to LPG.
He further noted that the Agency and the Ministry of Energy and ECOWAS participated in the LPG Standard Validation workshop held in Freetown in 2023.
“The Petroleum Agency has met with International Finance Corporation (IFC) officials to discuss the need for more investments in the LPG Sector to boost penetration and reduce the cost of cylinders for consumers and I’m here again on this enviable LPG’s energy platform to re-affirm our Government’s policies to increasing adoption of LPG to not only showcase our reforms and gains so far in boosting the LPG to the world; but to lure potential investors to see Sierra Leone as an investment friendly country with attractive opportunities and incentives for investment growth”, the PRA boss noted.
The Executive Chairman on his quest to lure more investors who are tremendously impacting other LPG’s Sector in some Africa Countries held detailed bilateral engagements with renowned international companies who are interested in investing in Sierra Leone’s Downstream Petroleum Industry including BEENERGY, GazPro FZC, Trident Gas & Oil Engineering among others.
