By: Emmanuel Ballah
BONG COUNTY – Goal #7 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) calls on governments to “ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.” Yet, in Liberia—177 years after independence—millions remain without access to consistent electricity. Those who do have access often suffer from unreliable service, with frequent outages and low power supply.
In Gbarnga City, residents of Sugar Hill Community Quarters #2 and #5 have voiced strong concerns about persistent low voltage and constant outages in the Jungle Energy Power (JEP) grid. According to residents, the issues have persisted for over two years since the community was connected.
Speaking to our correspondent over the weekend, community members described the electricity as practically unusable. “This JEP current is really giving us a hard time. We can’t use it because it can’t even power our appliances. It looks like Christmas lights, especially at night,” said Sophice Kollie, a resident.
Residents warned that the fluctuations are not just inconvenient but dangerous. They expressed fears that the irregular supply could lead to electric shocks or even house fires. “When things happen like this overnight and your breaker is up, it could cause a fire—so it’s a real threat to our lives,” another concerned resident noted.
The residents attribute the issue to a faulty transformer installed in their community. One user shared a video showing a power regulator receiving only 120 volts instead of the standard 220 volts. They say they have repeatedly informed Jungle Energy Power’s management, but their complaints have gone unanswered.
“We’ve been to their office many times. Just in March, we reminded them again, and they said they’d replace the transformer in two weeks. We’re still waiting for those two weeks,” an angry resident reported.
Frustrated by the lack of action, the community is now threatening to stage a peaceful protest at JEP’s Gbarnga office to get the attention of CEO Floyd Tomah and the Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission.
“If nothing is done, we’ll show up in our numbers. And you know what angry people can do—it may not be violent, but it will definitely send a strong message,” one resident warned.
When contacted, Jungle Energy Power General Manager Alieu Keita attributed the issue to a low voltage supply from their supplier in Ivory Coast. However, he expressed skepticism about one community being more affected than others.
“We are working to resolve these issues. That’s why we are purchasing our own transformers to deal with problems like this,” Keita assured.
