Rutendo Nyeve, [email protected]
THE Rural Electrification Agency (REA) is targeting 100 percent electrification of rural institutions by 2027, with 1 511 schools and health facilities earmarked for connection through grid extensions and solar power.
The ambitious target comes after Zimbabwe raised rural institutional electrification to more than 85 percent, with REA saying the remaining gap can be closed through a combination of conventional grid infrastructure and off-grid renewable energy solutions.
Speaking at the Ministry of Energy and Power Development strategic review meeting in Victoria Falls recently, REA acting chief executive officer Mrs Felisters Makumbinde said the agency is expected to complete 923 of the 1 860 institutions in its programme by December this year.
The remaining 937 institutions, together with 574 that were not initially included in the 2026 programme, will form the bulk of the 2027 rollout.
“We project to complete 923 out of 1 860 institutions by 31 December 2026. The 937 balance plus 574 that had not been planned for give us a total of 1 511 institutions for 2027,” she said.
“This is a decisive step towards our vision of universal access to sustainable modern energy services by rural communities in Zimbabwe by 2030.”
The drive is expected to have a direct impact on rural communities, where access to reliable electricity is critical to the delivery of education and healthcare, as well as the growth of small businesses and other productive activities.
Mrs Makumbinde said overall rural institutional electrification currently stood at 85 percent, with clinics at 95 percent, secondary schools at 85 percent and primary schools at 75 percent.
By the end of 2026, REA expects provincial electrification rates to reach 92 percent in Matabeleland South, 91 percent in Manicaland and 90 percent in Mashonaland East.
Matabeleland North and Mashonaland Central are projected to reach 89 percent, while Mashonaland West, Masvingo and Midlands are expected to reach 87 percent.
The 2027 programme will see 1 109 institutions connected to the national grid, while 402 will receive solar power.
The grid component will require 3 868,37km of 33kV lines, 3 707km of 11kV lines, 679,68km of medium-voltage lines and 42 725kVA of additional substation capacity.
Solar installations will cover 306 primary schools, 72 secondary schools and 24 clinics or rural health centres.
Midlands will have the largest allocation with 251 institutions, followed by Masvingo with 249 and Mashonaland West with 246.
Manicaland will have 163 institutions, Matabeleland North 166, Mashonaland East 178, Mashonaland Central 153 and Matabeleland South 105.
Beyond grid extension, REA is pursuing renewable-energy projects aimed at broadening access to electricity in rural areas.
These include the 5MW Banket solar PV plant in Mashonaland West, which was tendered at US$4,8 million and is expected to generate between 10,5GWh and 11,5GWh annually.
The agency is also supporting a solar PV module assembly plant in Gweru, which will initially have a production capacity of 60MWp per year before increasing to 120MWp within five years.
Another initiative, the Zonful solar home systems pilot, will initially provide 5 000 units before being scaled up to one million systems over five years.
However, funding and logistical challenges continue to be a major threat to the pace of rural electrification.
Mrs Makumbinde said REA had received only 35,4 percent of its budget by September, while only US$710 000 had been received from ZESA against US$108 million in outstanding rural electrification levy payments.
“The six recorded constraints affect every output line. But we are addressing them through engagement with local manufacturers such as Zent, direct imports from OEMs, rehabilitation of faulty backbone lines and substations, and restoration of our operational fleet,” she said.
REA is pursuing additional financing through credit facilities, development-partner grants, green climate funds, carbon credits, local bank loans guaranteed by ZESA, a rural infrastructure bond and government-to-government facilities.
The agency is also advocating for timely remittance of the rural electrification levy, with a minimum target of ZiG80 million a month from September.
Mrs Makumbinde said REA was confident the remaining institutions could be connected with stronger financial support, legislative reforms and continued backing from the ministry.
“We are confident that with expedited amendments to the Rural Electrification Fund Act, statutory instruments on levy collection and captive power producers and continued support from the
Ministry, we will complete the remaining institutions,” she said.
REA also plans to pilot 5 000 solar home systems with Zonful, roll out biogas digesters where funding permits and strengthen partnerships with development agencies, including UNICEF and UNDP.
The agency said stronger public-private partnerships would also be critical to accelerating the final push towards universal rural institutional electrification.
