M a r k e t N e w s
Tanzania: REA to Electrify All Villages By 2021
Posted on : Friday, 5th August 2016
Lindi — Rural Energy Agency (REA) plans to electrify a total of 7,500 villages by 2021, Minister of Energy and Minerals, Professor Sospeter Muhongo, has said. He said as the government embarks on REA phase three, which is expected to take five years, all villages in the country will be connected with electricity.
REA phase three was launched on August 1, this year and that by 2021 there will be no single village in the country that will be left unconnected. He said the government has allocated 1trn/- for the five-year project.
"The fifth phase government has allocated 1trn/- for REA projects in five years, this had never happened before, I can tell you today that all villages will be enjoying light by 2021," he said.
Prof Muhongo was speaking to Lindi and Mtwara residents who visited the official launch of Nanenane exhibitions at Ngongo grounds in Lindi Region. According to Prof Muhongo, the third phase project has been launched after the end of second phase, which recorded 94 per cent success.
"The second phase ended in June, this year. It was implemented in two years and it cost 880bn/-, we wanted it to succeed to 98 per cent but we dropped to 94 per cent due to various reasons," said Minister Muhongo.
He added that 543.3bn/- out of the 1trn/-, which has been allocated for the third phase REA projects will be obtained from domestic sources and the remaining from donors.
Moreover, the minister assured Lindi residents that the government through Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited (Tanesco), will improve electricity infrastructure to guarantee high quality services in the few coming years.
However, he urged Tanzanians to build modern houses to enable Tanesco to connect them to power. "I would like to advise you my fellow Tanzanians to build modern houses, it will easy Tanesco's job to connect your houses with electricity," he said.
Source : allafrica.com
