By: Akoi M. Baysah, Jr.
Grand Bassa County Buchanan City is steadily lighting up as the Government of Liberia intensifies efforts to expand electricity access under the European Union-funded Light Up South-East Liberia (LUSE) project ahead of the country’s July 26 Independence Day celebrations.
The electrification drive, financed through a €42 million grant from the European Union and implemented by the Rural and Renewable Energy Agency (RREA) in partnership with the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), is extending electricity services to thousands of residents, businesses, and public institutions in Buchanan and two other southeastern cities.
Major corridors and communities, including Benson River, Tubman Street, the LOIC catchment communities, K-Plaza, Robert Street, Hotel Buchanan, the Fairground area, the Administrative Building, Kiber Street, the Liberia Government Hospital vicinity, and New Buchanan, are already experiencing improved electricity service, particularly through the installation of streetlights.
Accordingly, the project is also progressing with the connection of homes, businesses, and public facilities to the electricity grid as RREA engineering teams continue service-drop installations across the city.
Residents are simultaneously receiving electricity meters to facilitate household connections.RREA’s LUSE Project Manager, Josephus A. G. Sonniful, and LEC Deputy Managing Director, Thomas Z. Gonkerwon, confirmed that customer connections are advancing steadily.
The project noted that residents connected during the current phase will continue to receive electricity as work expands to additional communities until the project’s completion in October 2026.
The ongoing works include the installation of utility poles, transformers, medium- and low-voltage distribution lines, streetlights, and service connections designed to improve access to reliable electricity throughout Buchanan.
The accelerated implementation follows recent interventions by the Presidential Delivery Unit, which has prioritized the delivery of electricity services in Buchanan ahead of Liberia’s Independence Day celebrations.
The LUSE project represents a significant investment in Liberia’s energy sector and is expected to improve public safety, stimulate economic activities, and enhance the delivery of essential public services.
Once completed, the initiative will have connected thousands of households, businesses, and public institutions, marking another milestone in the government’s efforts to increase electricity access across southeastern Liberia.
