Page 14 - AfrElec Week 09 2023

AfrElec TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION AfrElec

Kagame’s $800mn project for

rural electrification in Zimbabwe

to go ahead

ZIMBABWE RWANDA’S President Paul Kagame’s $800mn for this occasion. This is after I spoke to him to
RWANDA rural electrification project in Zimbabwe say, fellow brother, our country Zimbabwe is
remains on course despite a four-month delay in under sanctions but we have a programme to
its launch, an official has said. ensure everyone has access to electricity wher-
Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnan- ever they are. President Kagame then spoke to
gagwa announced on October 8, 2022 that his his friends and he secured $800mn. So that’s the
Rwandan counterpart had helped mobilise fund- facility he is coming to launch.”
ing for the project. At the time, he said Kagame An independent Zimbabwean publication,
would visit the southern African country later The NewsHawks, reported at the time citing
that month to launch the project. While that did “diplomatic sources” that Kagame deferred
not happen, Sydney Gata, executive chairperson his trip to allow the Zimbabwe government to
of Zimbabwe’s power utility ZESA Holdings, said complete its street lighting programme to fit
modalities for the project are still being worked 1,200 new lights in Harare, the capital; his visit to
out. Mozambique around the same time and security
“The programme is well on course,” said Gata, concerns during a weekend when Mnangagwa’s
as quoted by state-owned The Herald on Febru- party, Zanu-PF, held its congress.
ary 20. “The size of the project is something that According to The Herald, Zimbabwe has
ZESA has never done before. We are hoping that electrified 10,009 rural institutions using both
by the end of this month, we would have finished grid and solar technologies, with a total of 430
the modalities for implementing this massive solar mini-grid systems having been installed
project.” at remote rural schools and clinics country-
The World Bank says Zimbabwe’s electricity wide. In 2023, the government expects to spend
access rate was 52.7% in 2020 from 46.8% in ZWD 19.3bn (about $77mn) to accelerate the
2019. The rural access rate was 37.1% in 2020 up electrification and off-grid solutions for rural
from 28.4% in the previous year while the urban communities.
rate was 85.7% in 2020 from 85.5% the year prior. “There are a lot of economic opportuni-
“We have a programme which is coming at ties out there; unrealised economic potential
the end of this month,” Mnangagwa told a rally and this can be addressed by electrifying those
of his party in Chiredzi, a town southeast of his areas,” local analyst Carlos Tadya told the daily.
country. “If implemented, this will be a game changer for
“President Kagame of Rwanda is visiting us rural people and the entire economy.”™

P14 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 09 01•March•2023