The government, through the Rural Energy Agency (REA), is placing significant emphasis on providing electricity to institutions that serve the community, particularly educational institutions.
Deputy Minister for Energy, Judith Kapinga, highlighted that by January 2025, a total of 18,597 educational institutions had been connected to the national grid through REA, with plans to continue expanding electricity access to more service centers across the country as funding permits.
In addition to the education sector, the government has implemented several other key projects, including the electrification of 111 health centers and the provision of electricity to 411 water pumps, as well as 605 agricultural and mining areas.
Kapinga also addressed the issue of clean cooking energy, revealing that the government has initiated a program to subsidize 20% to 50% of the cost of LPG gas cylinders for end users.
This is part of the broader National Clean Cooking Energy Strategy for 2024-2034, which aims to reduce harmful practices and deaths linked to traditional cooking methods, especially among women.
As part of this initiative, the government is also distributing 200,000 efficient stoves and promoting the use of electric stoves through electricity distribution, which will help reduce dependence on firewood.
Furthermore, in response to the growing demand for electricity, the government is undertaking a project to bring power to 8,000 villages.
In addition, Kapinga confirmed that a verification process has been completed to assess the costs of repairing and upgrading private producers’ infrastructure to align with TANESCO standards.