117. Addressing performance issues at JIRAMA should be the most immediate concern to
improve access to electricity. There are immediate actions which could start alleviating the worst
of the bottlenecks in accessing electricity while other challenges can only be addressed over a
medium term. The most immediate action is to start running JIRAMA more professionally, by
stopping the theft of subsidized fuel, reviewing policies for providing preferential electricity rates
to employees and selected customers and publishing the audited financial statements of the
company as required by the law. Bringing in private sector expertise could help in this regard.
Necessary work to elaborate a medium term business plan for the company as well as a costeffective
electricity sector development plan should also start right away. The business plan should
include a socially and politically acceptable tariff adjustment mechanism, an incentive structure
for the employees to provide best service to fee-paying customers, as well as technical plans to
widen access to electricity sustainably.