An elderly woman believed to be in her late 50s was electrocuted on Thursday, July 9, 2026, while carrying vegetables to the market for sale in Ganta City, Nimba County.
An eyewitness told the Daily Observer that the woman, identified as Nohn Dolo of Zeyeepa Town, near Ganta, was on her way to the market when she came into contact with a high-tension power line that had fallen overnight following heavy rainfall.
According to the eyewitness, the victim mistakenly believed the fallen wire was an ordinary cable and attempted to remove it from her path. However, upon touching the line with her bare hands, she received an electric shock and died instantly.
The incident has shocked residents of Ganta City and surrounding communities, while renewing concerns among some citizens over the management of the Nimba Grid by Jungle Energy Power (JEP), a private company contracted by the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) to manage the grid.
The exact cause of the fallen power line remains unclear. When contacted by the Daily Observer, JEP Communication Officer Zawolo Bamakpah said the company had responded to the situation and was working with the victim’s family, the police, and local authorities to arrange her funeral.
Ganta City Mayor Samuel S. Hardt also confirmed the incident, stating that the woman died after coming into contact with a high-tension line that fell following lightning strikes around midnight on Thursday, July 9, 2026.
Mayor Hardt identified the victim as Nohn Dolo of Zeyeepa Town, located behind Dorr Cooper Avenue in Ganta.
“We just met with the family of the lady, and we agreed that the body will be buried on July 18, 2026,” Mayor Hardt said.
The incident has also renewed broader concerns about power infrastructure safety in parts of Ganta. Some community members have accused JEP of failing to adequately maintain sections of the electricity network, citing instances where damaged or exposed wires have reportedly remained unattended.
During the internment ceremony of former Nimba County Superintendent Nelson Korquoi in Zeyeepa on July 4, 2026, community members reportedly raised concerns after observing an electricity line lying on the ground along an alley being used by sympathizers.
Although the line reportedly involved in that incident was not the same one that killed Dolo, residents said the situation reflects ongoing concerns about the condition and maintenance of parts of the JEP-managed power network.
“ We had repeatedly warned JEP officials and community leaders about the poor condition of the wires for months, but our warnings yielded no positive results until today,” some residents were quoted as saying on social media.
“We pointed out to our leaders that the condition of the wires could lead to loss of life if not properly addressed,” they added.
Residents have also raised concerns about the use of makeshift poles in several communities, arguing that the practice poses safety risks. They questioned why JEP continues to collect electricity payments from customers while, according to them, failing to provide adequate infrastructure materials to support safe power distribution.
JEP, which is expected to mark its 10th year of operation this year, became the first private entity to manage a power distribution grid in Liberia after entering into an agreement with the Liberia Electricity Corporation to oversee the Nimba Grid.
However, residents argue that many areas with improved electricity infrastructure were developed through external support programs before being transferred to JEP for management. These include projects supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Bong County and the Côte d’Ivoire–Liberia–Sierra Leone–Guinea (CLSG) electricity interconnection project, which provided infrastructure in communities around Ganta, Sanniquellie, and Saclepea.
The Nimba Grid development traces back to 2010, when the West Africa Power Pool, through a Ghanaian firm known as Energy Venture, began efforts to extend electricity transmission lines from Côte d’Ivoire to Liberia’s border counties, including Nimba, Grand Gedeh, and Maryland.
In 2016, Jungle Water, owned by Flyold Tomah, and Energy Venture partnered to establish Jungle Energy Power, leading to an agreement with the Liberia Electricity Corporation to manage electricity distribution in Nimba County.
