The Managing Director-designate of the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), Mohammed M. Sherif has assured energy consumers that he is ready to be held accountable for results and to work hand in hand with the Senate (Legislature) to deliver the power that will energize Liberia’s future.
Appearing before the Senate Committee on Hydrocarbon Tuesday, June 24, Sherif, a seasoned executive in the energy and infrastructure sector, with more than 15 years of experience spanning public policy, utility reform, and cross-border power development, said if confirmed, he intends to lead LEC through a bold, structured transformation agenda anchored on three core pillars.
With respect to financial viability, nominee Sherif promised total reduction in system losses to below 30 percent within three years; implement a cost-reflective tariff framework that ensures sustainability while protecting vulnerable customers; and expand collection across all segments.
Regarding his second pillar, Sherif said he will complete the upgrading of transmission and substation infrastructure; embed smart digital systems to improve maintenance, billing, and system reliability; and balance regional imports with a resilient domestic generation portfolio.
Concerning customer centricity, Sherif promised to reduce turnaround times for meter installations, fault responses, and customer complaints; and invest in technology that makes service delivery transparent, accessible, and efficient.
To realize his agenda, Mr. Sherif, who is the founding General Manager of TRANSCO CLSG, noted that the corporation will need more than internal reform, and is therefore appealing to the Senate Committee to support: the full implementation of the escrow mechanism for timely settlement of government electricity arrears; the mobilization of capital for urgent infrastructure upgrades and distribution expansion; and the establishment of a robust enabling framework to attack and de-risk private investment in Liberia’s energy sector.
Since assuming the role of acting Managing Director in April, he has been confronted with a utility under severe operational and financial pressure, where total technical and commercial losses were confirmed at approximately 42 percent, “a figure that significantly undermines LEC’s financial sustainability and service delivery capacity.
“Our transmission infrastructure is overburdened, key substations remain in urgent need of upgrades, and years of inconsistent performance have weakened the confidence of our customers, suppliers, and development partners,” Sherif noted.
But with a two-track effort that combined decisive domestic action with intensified regional engagement, “I am proud to report that a major turnaround is already underway.”
Sherif told the Hydrocarbon Committee that under his 90-day stabilization plan, anchored on grid reliability, revenue recovery, and customer service, the Corporation successfully restored 78 megawatts of critical generation capacity: “This includes Mount Coffee Hydro Units 2,3, and 4(57MW); GOL Thermal Unit #1 (9 MW); and World Bank Bushrod Units 1 and 2 (9 MW).”
Mr. Sherif noted that those restorations have had an immediate and measurable impact, with daily load-shedding in Montserrado dropping from twelve hours to nearly zero. “The final two World Bank units at the Bushrod Power Plant are undergoing final testing and are expected to be fully restored by this Friday, which will further consolidate this stability.”
Sherif disclosed that strong internal reforms have been undertaken, including the further strengthening of the anti-power-theft task force leading to identifying over thousands of illegal connections and initiating enforcement actions that are already boosting collections.
“We have also fast-tracked the procurement of 300,000 pre-paid meters through a framework contract, with the first batch of 17,000 delivered, and another 17,000 for deployment; we’ve secured development partner support for a comprehensive digital transformation, including the roll-out of an integrated ERP system and other smart-grid tools to modernize LEC’s operations, improve service delivery, and enhance fault detection and response.”
According to his prepared statement submitted to the Senate Committee, Mr. Mohammed M Sherif brings to the LEC a proven track record of leadership, having served as the founding General Manager of TRANSCO CLSG, where he successfully led the construction, and commissioning of a US$550 million CLSG interconnection project; now the backbone of cross-border electricity trade in Côte d’lvoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
