• Liberia ranks 9th in Africa’s 2024 Electricity Regulatory Index, up 28% since 2022.

• Reforms boosted scores, but power supply remains unreliable, with major cuts in imports from Côte d’Ivoire.

• The country aims for 75% electricity coverage by 2030.

Liberia ranks ninth out of 43 countries in the 2024 Electricity Regulatory Index (ERI), with an overall score of 0.803. This marks an increase from 0.628 in 2022, according to the report released Thursday, June 19, by the African Development Bank (AfDB).

The country recorded the second-highest improvement, nearly 28%, after Niger's 67.2%. It also surpassed Senegal's 12.2% and Kenya's 9.5%, both top regulatory performers between 2022 and 2024. This places Liberia among the five nations showing the most significant gains in the index.

The report attributes this progress to several key reforms, including introducing a Service Quality Code and national plans outlining priorities in renewable energy and energy efficiency. However, the country's improved regulatory framework sharply contrasts with ongoing structural issues in electricity supply, particularly frequent service disruptions.

For example, in February 2025, electric utility Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) reported an 85% reduction in electricity deliveries from Côte d’Ivoire’s power company (CIE) due to technical restrictions. This highlights Liberia's heavy reliance on imported electricity.

The discrepancy between regulatory achievements and operational realities underscores that, despite legal and institutional progress, the reliability of power supply still depends on technical and regional infrastructure.

According to the Liberia National Energy Compact, an official commitment to reform the electricity sector in line with Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), the country aims to achieve 75% national electricity coverage by 2030.

Written in French by Abdel-Latif Boureima,

Translated and adapted into English by Mouka Mezonlin