Lack of funding hampers rural electrification

energy but lack of adequate funds are hampering progress on the rural electrification programme, an official has said.
In an interview at the Harare Agricultural Show yesterday, Rural Electrification Agency public relations manager Mr Johannes Nyamayedenga said since the inception of the programme in 2002, 1 588 primary schools, 964 secondary schools and 646 health centres had been electrified in different rural areas countrywide.
He said a total of 6 390 public institutions and chiefs homes had been electrified.
“We have been trying our best in the face of these economic hardships and according to the conditions we have made significant progress. A number of public institutions have managed to get electricity and these include Government extension offices, irrigation schemes and business centres,” he said.
Mr Nyamayedenga said people in the rural communities had ventured into various businesses since they got electricity.
“Electrifying a public institution is done with 100 percent capital subsidy meaning we fund everything while others work in groups of 10 or more to have electricity and receive a 50 percent subsidy from us.
“This has helped a lot as many people have now began their businesses, which we also support,” he said.
He, however, said they were receiving inadequate funds from fiscus, a development which he said was stalling progress.
Mr Nyamayedenga said this year, Government, through the Ministry of Finance had allocated US$5 million to REA but to date, and the agency had only received US$1 million.
“We still have many areas without electricity and if we have adequate funds, we will have no problems in intensifying the programme,” he said.