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Pamela Shumba Senior Reporter
THE Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has electrified more than 8,000 rural institutions countrywide as it intensifies its efforts to empower rural communities in line with the country’s economic blue print, Zim-Asset, the Deputy Minister of Energy and Power Development, Cde Tsitsi Muzenda, has said.
Cde Muzenda said the government has since 2002 strived to create an enabling environment for the development of the grid network in both rural and urban areas through the Rural Electrification Fund (REF).
“The fund has contributed significantly to the electrification of rural areas. To date, the fund has electrified 8,187 rural institutions countrywide, using both grid and solar technologies,” said Cde Muzenda during the commissioning of the Dandanda Schools electrification project in Lupane District, Matabeleland North, last Thursday.
She said the REF had electrified 698 institutions in Matabeleland North Province alone. About 105 of the institutions are in Lupane District.
“These include 35 out of 96 primary schools, 17 out of 21 secondary schools, 11 out of 12 rural health centres, two chiefs’ homesteads, 13 government extension offices, 17 business centres and 10 villages,” said Cde Muzenda.
The Deputy Minister said the project she commissioned would benefit a secondary school, two primary schools, a rural health centre, a business centre, two government extension offices and a church.
She said the government would continue prioritising the provision of electricity in rural areas to promote rural development as well as uplift people’s lives.
“The government recognises the importance of energy as a vehicle for economic and social development.
“In 2002 the government established the REF through an Act of Parliament with the specific mandate to facilitate rapid and equitable electrification of rural areas.The exercise is promoting rural development and uplifting the people’s lives ,” said Cde Muzenda.
She said in 2012, the government launched the National Energy Policy (NEP), which seeks to ensure that all people in the country have access to sustainable energy sources.
Cde Muzenda said the government remains committed to the expansion of existing power stations. She said there was a need to develop decentralised energy systems based on renewable energy sources.
“It’s encouraging to note that the REF has already started solar and biogas programmes with 423 solar systems having been installed at rural schools, health centres and chiefs’ homesteads.
“A total of 437 mobile solar units have also been distributed to rural public institutions while 33 institutional biogas digesters have been constructed countrywide. One was installed at St Luke’s Hospital in Lupane last year,” said Cde Muzenda.
She commended REA and Zesa for working tirelessly to bring electricity and other sources of energy to all parts of the country.
Cde Muzenda said her ministry would continue to explore ways of supporting the REF to enable it to carry out its mandate of providing energy to rural areas.
REF board chairman, Willard Chiwewe, said rural areas were for a long time neglected by the colonial regime despite the fact that the majority of people in the country live in rural areas.
“Electricity is the engine that drives economic development. To this end the REF has made significant efforts in providing electricity grid infrastructure to rural communities since its inception in 2002.
“During the six months from January to June this year, the fund has completed 213 projects countrywide, with an additional 195 being in progress as at June 30, 2015. As REF, we are striving to meet our Zim-Asset targets,” said Chiwewe.
He said the aim was to electrify all public institutions within 15 to 20KM of the existing grid network by 2018.
“We also plan to provide those institutions which are far away from the grid network with solar mini grid systems and biogas digesters,” said Chiwewe.
The National Assembly member for the area, Martin Khumalo, said the electrification of Dandanda would go a long way in improving the lives of the people. He said communication remained one of the biggest challenges in the area and urged cellphone companies to set up network boosters for them.
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