By CLEVER ZULU –
GOVERNMENT has commissioned the Tobbaco Board of Zambia (TBZ) and the Mumbwa big concessions grid extension in Nkeyema and Mumbwa districts.
The project is the biggest rural electrification projects that government has ever undertaken with support from the European Union (EU).
Commissioning the project in Nkeyema district at Nkeyema secondary school yesterday, Mines, Energy and Water Development deputy minister Charles Zulu said it was government’s desire to empower rural communities with necessary development infrastructure.
Mr Zulu said apart from the public institutions such as schools and rural health centers that are normally targeted under the rural electrification programme, the project was designed to include a wider scope of other facilities.
“Mumbwa big concession and TBZ farm blocs are some of the major beneficiaries of the project. This therefore has added a major value of relevance to the rural electrification programme in Zambia,” Mr Zulu said.
Mr Zulu commended the EU for its transformational role in helping the rural poor and lobbying for policy changes to improve the lives of poor people, particularly women.
The total investment cost for the project is K82.3 million.
“This is an enormous singular investment in a project of this nature giving greater opportunities for economic expansion of businesses, and better service delivery for social facilities that have been connected to this grid extension project,” he said.
The deputy minister has since urged the people to use the electricity for productive purposes and improve the levels of income and add to the growth of the national economy.
Speaking at the same function Rural Electrification Authority (REA) board chairperson Professor Jorry Mwenechanya said the project was born out of a financing agreement for rural electrification infrastructure and small-scale projects, which was entered into by the government of Zambia and the European Union (EU) in 2008.
“Under this financing agreement, the expected result from one of the components was to provide sustainable electricity services to an initial 6800 households, 12 schools and six rural health centres in the two project areas in Mumbwa and Nkeyema districts. As the project progressed seven more schools and a local court were included,” Professor Mwenechanya said.
EU head of corporations to Zambia and COMESA Arend Biesebroak said sustainable infrastructure development is key to increased economic activity and poverty alleviation at household level.
“This is will the energy sector has been identified as one of the major components of the new national indicative programme for Zambia, to be financed under the 11th EDF in the period from 2014 to 2020,” he said.
Mr Biesebroak said within this programme, 224 million euros is targeted for infrastructure rehabilitation, promoting innovative approaches and technologies and wider sector support.