On April 24th, 2025, the National Revenue Authority (NRA) locked the offices of the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA) for non-payment of taxes—taxes that were already collected from ordinary Sierra Leoneans. This move signals the absolute failure of EDSA’s leadership, particularly under Joe Lahai Sormana and James Rogers. The electricity sector is not just in crisis; it is in disgrace.
According to the Deputy Commissioner General of the NRA, EDSA was officially notified last week to attend a meeting scheduled for April 23rd or face closure. EDSA failed to show up. The Electricity Generation and Transmission Company (EGTC), however, did attend—and as a result, their doors remain open. EDSA’s absence was not just negligent; it was reckless and disrespectful to national institutions.
This level of irresponsibility is not new. Under Joe Lahai Sormana’s leadership, EDSA has bled from every corner. Technical and commercial losses have reached a staggering 55%. That means more than half of the electricity generated is not being paid for. Where is it going? Who is benefitting from this leak? Parliament has raised serious concerns, including a scandal involving 170 electricity meters that remain unaccounted for. These are not rumors. These are facts, discussed in the highest chamber of governance.
Insiders describe a growing culture of bribery within EDSA where engineers will only carry out maintenance or meter installations after being “appreciated” under the table. It’s not just poor service delivery—it’s a cartel. A cartel that exists under the full knowledge and protection of a Board that has failed the public completely.
Let’s ask the real question: what more must Joe Lahai Sormana do before he is shown the door? How many more scandals? How many more unpaid taxes? How many more blackout embarrassments must this government endure?
And what of the EDSA Board? Are they asleep, complicit, or simply indifferent? The people of Sierra Leone demand answers. The EDSA Board has become an accessory to failure, continuously validating a management team that has clearly lost its grip. In any serious country, this kind of gross mismanagement would result in dismissals, resignations, and investigations—not business as usual.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) must act. This is not just about unpaid taxes. It’s about corruption, negligence, and an abuse of public trust. Joe Lahai Sormana and the entire Board must be investigated for possible financial and administrative misconduct.
We cannot continue to pour billions of Leones into an institution that is being run like a backyard hustle. Sierra Leoneans are paying for electricity they do not receive. Meanwhile, taxes collected on their backs are not being remitted to the state.
The African proverb says, “If the fish begins to rot, it starts from the head.” Joe Lahai Sormana has led EDSA into a swamp of scandal, and yet he remains in charge. Why? For how long?
President Bio, how much longer will these men embarrass your government? How much longer will the EDSA Board insult the intelligence of Sierra Leoneans by endorsing failure? It’s time to clean house.
