ESMAP-Africa Energy Learning Series | Liberia Electricity Sector Strengthening and Access Project (LESSAP) Phase 1: Exceeding Expectations in Liberia's Energy Sector

Increasing access to sustainable, reliable, and affordable electricity and improving the operational efficiency of the national utility have long been aspirations for Liberia — one of the least electrified countries in the world. Phase 1 of the Liberia Electricity Sector Strengthening and Access Project (LESSAP) has moved that aspiration firmly into the realm of achievement, delivering results that exceeded original targets across generation, access, and institutional reform.

As Part of the ESMAP-Africa learning series: Electrifying Africa — Delivering on Mission 300 Faster Together, this session takes stock of what was accomplished and more importantly, how. Beyond the headline numbers, it examines the policy decisions, institutional changes, and implementation choices that allowed the project to outperform expectations in a challenging operating environment. It also looks honestly at the obstacles encountered along the way and what it took to overcome them.

For practitioners and policymakers working on energy access across Sub-Saharan Africa, this session offers a grounded, evidence-based account of what is possible — and a set of lessons that travel well beyond Liberia's borders.