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Africa

Africa: Tanzania Commits to Universal Electricity Access in Africa By 2030

todayOctober 17, 2024 2

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DEPUTY Prime Minister and Minister for Energy, Dr Doto Biteko on Wednesday assured that Tanzania is fully committed to supporting realisation of universal electricity access in Africa by 2030.

Briefing journalists on the side-line of the 9th Africa Energy Market Place meeting in Dar es Salaam, Dr Biteko said the country will leverage on its excess power generation to complement neighbouring countries’ demand.

The government assurance echoes its on-going implementation of different major electricity projects including the Julius Nyerere Hydro Power Project (JNHPP), which upon completion will add 2115 Megawatts to the National Grid, significantly making the country attain energy self-sufficiency.

The 9th Africa Energy Market Place meeting which is co-organised by the government through the Ministry of Energy and the African Development Bank (AfDB) intends to boost the country’s effort to clean cooking and electricity access countrywide.

Dr Biteko said the meeting is part of the country’s preparation towards hosting the forthcoming Africa Heads of State Energy Compact Summit which will be held in the country in January, 2025 with the objective of raising about 190 billion US dollar (about 517.498tri/-) to provide electricity to 300 million people in the continent by 2030.

He said Tanzania has been picked by the AfDB to host the two-day 9th Africa Energy Market Place and the upcoming Africa Heads of State Energy Compact Summit due to the sixth-phase government’s strategy to rapidly extend electricity access to rural and peri-urban areas.

As a result, he said Tanzania offers best practice to other African countries when it comes to rural electrification by considering the fact that currently almost all villages are connected with electricity.

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“The country stands as the role model when it comes to rural electrification in the continent. As we embark on ensuring 300 million people in Africa have access to power by 2030, Tanzania is at the driving seat of transformation by ensuring first it gets connected with neighbouring countries’ electricity infrastructure,” he said.

To advance universal electricity access in the continent, he said the country has been entering into partnership with neighbouring countries including Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and Zambia to facilitate supply of electricity to them.

In another development, he said the government’s implementation of the National Clean Cooking Energy Strategy is on track with 400,000 subsidised gas cylinders set aside to be distributed across the country.