Wilmot Paye Defends Liberia’s “Audacious” ARREST Agenda in Egypt: Amid grim reality
- Michael T
- Oct 1
- 2 min read
Liberia’s energy sector faces mounting obstacles: generation remains woefully inadequate, costs are among the highest in the region, and a third of the nation’s people—primarily urban—have access to the grid, leaving vast communities in the dark. Hydropower’s installed 88MW is effectively sidelined for half the year, while 38MW of thermal capacity—crucial during the dry season—proves costly at $0.33 per kWh, a price more than double regional benchmarks. Even imports via the CLSG transmission line rarely reach full potential, constricted by aging networks and chronic infrastructure bottlenecks.
In response, the government has launched the ARREST Agenda and a Five-Pillar National Energy Compact, setting a highly ambitious target: 75% electricity access by 2030. The pillars—strengthening infrastructure, regional integration, scaling renewables, boosting private sector engagement, and reforming LEC finances—mark a blueprint that has earned praise for vision, but also doubts over execution and substance. Experts, including some in the international development community, note the boldness of these targets, but flag concerns that timelines may be misaligned with implementation realities and the sector’s persistently weak financials.
Minister of Mines and Energy Wilmot Paye contextualized this pivot at the 21st APUA Congress in Egypt, striking a tone at once candid and aspirational. Paye didn’t mince words about the energy sector’s seasonal volatility, the growing debt burden on consumers, and the entrenched darkness across much of Liberia—an implicit indictment of past failures.
However, he spotlighted reforms underway: a draft Net Metering Policy to allow solar producers onto the grid, prepaid meters for public institutions to stem fiscal leaks, and oversight bodies led from the vice presidency to attract private investment and monitor progress. The Minister concluded: “While the national access goal of 75% is ambitious, it is achievable,” signaling that real traction will hinge on both technical interventions and a recalibration of the nation’s governance and accountability structures.
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