On behalf of the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), KfW has signed a €15 million grant for electricity grid connections in Liberia's capital of Monrovia, the third component in a project to develop a modern and reliable energy supply and the necessary infrastructure in the country.
As its largest international donor, KfW has played a key role in the Liberian energy sector since 2012. Together with other international financial donors, it provided funding of €55 million for the 88MW Mount Coffee hydropower plant and €59 million for five substations along the 1360 km long power transmission line between Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
"Establishing a modern energy infrastructure specifically addresses one of the greatest obstacles to Liberia's economic development,” commented Dr Norbert Kloppenburg, Member of the KfW Executive Board. “In view of the very low rate of electrification of only 3% which poses an enormous challenge, the integrated approach which extends from power generation to electricity connection is a necessary and very successful combination of different investments," said
The electricity supply system was completely destroyed during Liberia's civil war. The country still reported significant electricity losses as recently as 2016. Electricity users suffer from high tariffs that are among the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa. Thanks to the lower costs of power generation, people can now benefit from lower prices and a more reliable energy supply.
