Liberia: World Bank approves $27m for electricity access project

The World Bank board on 11 January approved financing of $27m for a project to increase access to electricity and encourage the use of renewable power technologies. The financing comprises a $25m grant from the Strategic Climate Fund’s Scaling Up Renewable Energy Programme and a $2m loan from the International Development Agency. The project will see $22m spent on constructing a mini-grid in Lofa County, one of the areas worst hit by the Ebola crisis and which is located more than 200km from the national grid. This is intended to provide affordable, year-round electricity supply to around 50,000 people.