DAR ES SALAAM, Jan 27 (NNN-DAILYNEWS) — TANZANIA has achieved a significant milestone in electrification, connecting 78.4 per cent of its population to electricity.
This was said in Dar es Salaam by Director of Rural Energy at the Rural Energy Agency (REA), Engineer Jones Olotu.
Eng Olotu said this represents a 15 per cent increase in electrification rates over the past five years, driven in part by the government’s ambitious Rural Electrification Programme.
While all villages on the mainland now have access to electricity, significant challenges remain in reaching hamlets.
“Currently, only 52.3 per cent of hamlets are electrified, leaving millions of Tanzanians without reliable power. The government aims to address this through a combination of grid extensions, off-grid solutions like solar power, and public-private partnerships,” he said
As Tanzania prepares to host the Africa Energy Summit, this progress underscores the nation’s commitment to expanding energy access.
The summit will bring together energy ministers, financiers, and industry leaders from across the continent to discuss innovative solutions for accelerating electrification and promoting sustainable energy development in Africa.
The Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit will take place in Dar es Salaam, on Jan 27-28. This event aims to gather leaders to accelerate energy access for 300 million people across the continent, emphasizing the critical need for reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy to foster economic growth and development.
Mission 300 represents an unprecedented collaboration between the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Bank Group, alongside other global partners.
The project aims to bridge the continent’s vast power divide by leveraging cutting-edge technology and innovative financing.
Several heads of state and Government from Africa and the rest of the world, will join 1,500 other participants—with strong representation from the private sector.
Together, they will chart Africa’s course toward universal access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy by 2030.
This initiative comes at a critical time: nearly 600 million Africans, representing a staggering 83 percent of the world’s energy-deprived population, lack access to electricity.
“No economy can grow, industrialize, or be competitive in the dark,” said AfDB President Dr Akinwumi Adesina. “This partnership is a game changer for Africa’s development.” Mission 300, launched at the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings 2024, also has the backing of the Group of Seven (G7) and the G20.
The summit is expected to yield two significant outcomes: the Dar es Salaam Energy Declaration, stating commitments and reform actions from African governments to reform the energy sector, and the first set of National Energy Compacts, which will serve as blueprints for country-specific transformations.
Under the first phase of Mission 300, twelve countries will present their energy compacts: Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, and Zambia.
These countries represent more than half of the global population lacking access to electricity and a quarter of those lacking clean cooking solutions. Other African countries are expected to develop their compacts in subsequent phases.
The two-day gathering will also highlight energy sector successes in selected countries, establish an alliance of sector stakeholders to accelerate energy infrastructure investments, and strengthen regional power planning, market trade, and policy frameworks.
These efforts will support the implementation of the Continental Master Plan and the African Single Electricity Market. — NNN-DAILYNEWS
