MONROVIA: The Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission (LERC), Dr. Lawrence D. Sekajipo, has reaffirmed the Commission’s Commitment to the Liberian people by ensuring the provision of affordable, reliable, and stable electricity services.
Dr. Sekajipo also disclosed that LERC has developed and is implementing regulations and codes to attract private sector investment that will accelerate access to affordable, reliable, and stable electricity services.
He made these statements on Tuesday, August 13, 2024, at a one-day media engagement and workshop on Liberia Electricity Sector Regulatory Framework held at Murex Plaza in Monrovia.
The media engagement on Liberia Electricity Sector Regulatory Framework is aimed to inform journalists and media stakeholders on LERC’s regulations, operations amongst others.
He emphasized that LERC recognizes that social media platforms influence a significant part of consumers.
“It is important that the Commission stays engaged the traditional media to amplify efforts to promote the services provided by the LERC,” the LERC Boss stressed.
According to him, LERC’s goals are to establish and implement modernized regulatory system, policies, and procedures, ensure the regulatory system is efficient and effective.
He indicated that rationalizing implementation of regulations and enforcement of compliance would not only create a work environment that is conducive but also build a workforce that will promote organizational success.
He further highlighted that the goals are lofty, and not many people know what the Commission is, what it does, the difference between the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) and the LERC, and the functions and powers of the LERC as a Regulatory Body.
“This is the essence of this media engagement and workshop. We have an untold story or not sufficiently told story for our stakeholders and consumers. At this media engagement and workshop, each Department Director of the LERC will give you a briefing on what we do. In that way, you’ll have a clear picture of who we are and what we do at the Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission, thus making it easier for you to tell our story to the Liberian People,” he added.
Giving his welcome remarks and the overview of the workshop, the Acting Managing Director of LERC, Abu Dekontee Sanso, told the journalists and media stakeholders that the media plays a pivotal role in the development of Liberia electricity supply sector.
Sanso indicated that the Commission thought it wise to have the media engagement on Liberia Electricity Sector Regulatory Framework and they hope that the objectives for which the engagement was organized will be met, and LERC can work with the media to build a vibrant electricity sector in the country.
He also recalled that in 2009 during the erstwhile administration of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a National Energy Policy was crafted.
He asserted that the policy was formulated and enacted that looked at specifically setting portion of the Act that created the LERC.
He mentioned that portion of the Act was amended, giving rise to the 2015 electricity law. He asserted that when the law was enacted, it gave rise to the establishment of the LERC.
The LERC Acting Managing Director disclosed that the Commission became operationalized in 2018 with the sole responsibilities to ensure that the coordinated and accelerated goals and development of the sub-sector in a conducive and competitive environment for electricity sustainability.
“Amongst several functions of LERC, we license operators in the sector. The law says anybody who wants to be involved in the regulated activities must be licensed; we also approved tariff and charges of services provided. The price of electricity is the sole responsibility of LERC to determine.
“ We determine and approve tariff. We approved sector plan and investments made by operators, we also ensure that quality of service is assured by our monitoring and enforcement of standard. And also where there may be dispute between service providers and customers, we intervene. If a service provider is not pleased with a customer that service provider has the right to complain equally so the customer also has the right to complain,” he said.
Sano added that the electricity supply industry principally comprises three categories including policy, regulation, and operation.
“Policy, we have the Ministry of Mines and Energy and regulation, we have standards, tariff, compliance and operation. We talk about efficiency, quality of supply, security of supply which fall in the role of LEC and quit recently our private operator, such as Jungle Energy Power in Nimba, LIB Energy in the South East, and Totota Electric Corporative,” he said.
The workshop covered topics on electricity licensing regulations, economic regulations, technical regulations, Regulatory Database Management System (RDMS) and review of the Commission’s resources, website and other materials.
The workshop was attended by journalists from the print and electronic media, Press Union of Liberia (PUL), Commissioners and workers of LERC amongst others. Writes Linda Gbartie
