Living in the Dark: Lungi’s Energy Crisis

By Ibrahim Mansaray (MRCG/ATJLF Fellow 2025)

As the last ferry from Freetown docks in Lungi, people making their way to the northern town are greeted with the darkness that covers its flat land and beautiful beaches.  Nightfall puts a hold on almost all activities of most Lungi residents as people go to bed in the lightless settlement, which hosts Sierra Leone’s only international airport

Lungi holds profound significance in efforts to end Sierra Leone’s civil war, being the very land where 3,000 weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were destroyed by the National Committee on Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration, marking an end to the country’s decade-long civil war. This was followed by the declaration of an end of the war by then President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah with the words: ‘war don don!’

23 years later, Lungi residents continue to feel neglected, especially in the last few years, thanks largely to growing economic hardship and lack of basic services like reliable power supply.

The incredibly unstable power supply in Lungi has left residents with no choice but to re-strategize their activities to fit into their realities.