By SAM PHIRI –
LOCATED 850 kilometres from Lusaka, life in this honey-rich area is almost quiet with dark nights coupled with countryside loneliness and reality that depicts the typical un-electrified remote set-up of Zambia.
The road network in this part of the country is in a deplorable state.
Sight of a mere modern jeep would draw attention of especially bare-feet children even elders by the roadside to catch a glimpse of the vehicle while complementing it with a humble innocent wave and smile.
On the peripherals of Mwinilunga in Zambia’s North-Western Province is Ntambu village, un-electrified   and hardly accessible.
What is the smile for after all? One may be left with that question if he or she is not privy to facts that the area is un-electrified and rarely do such vehicles pass on these roads.
A common and familiar sight to these people is that of unregistered motorcycles with helmetless riders snaking through these pot-holed roads.
This is an area where ‘politics’ of load shedding and timetables do not make sense to habitants, not that they have abundant power supply but that the opposite is the case.
Despite not having power supply, a good road network and other social amenities, these people in this honey-rich area can afford an innocent smile as they do not have anyone to compare life with.
To them, it’s normal.
This is a long-time notion that Government through the Rural Electrification Authority (REA) is working hard to break and end.
With sustainable electrification master plan, REA is undertaking across the hard-to-reach remote areas of Zambia, the story of Ntambu village and many other areas is changing!
To validate this fact, recently on November 21 2016, Vice-President Inonge Wina was in Mwinilunga to record a landmark history in the
development of rural electricity infrastructure.
She was there to officially flag-off the first-ever Kasanjiku mini-hydro power project under the REA mini-hydro initiative.
The development has put a real smile of chief Ndambu’s face. He is grateful to REA and Government for choosing his chiefdom to receive a mini-hydro power station gift.
“I and my people are very grateful to REA and we pledge our support to the government that has thought of putting up this important infrastructure in my area, we will guard it jealously,” he says.
The Vice-President has good news not only for Chief Ntambu and other nearby chiefdoms but to a vast rural habitation as she says:
“Government has put in place a rural electrification master plan to guide systematic electrification project of rural of the country up to the year 2030.”
She goes on to say: “This Master plan to electrify rural areas will require US$ 50 million per year to be implemented. This will raise the access profile of electricity from the current 3.7 percent to 51 percent.”
This is a colossal  sum of money but with the success record REA has had in its quest to electrify the rural  populous, it would only be
logical for Government and cooperating  partners to continue with even more innovation such as the mini-power grids.
The 640 KW Kasanjiku Mini Hydropower Station under review is being constructed on the Kasanjiku Falls which the locals of that area call “Matukuta” Falls.
By the end of 2018, this project signed at a contract cost of US$ 8.7 million is expected to be completed and light up a catchment of over 12,913 people in the area.
Key sectors like education and health are at the heart of REA as it has been spelt out that 10 schools are targeted and expected to directly benefit a total number of 4,144 pupils currently enrolled at the schools.
In a similar vein, about 81 public service workers (teachers) employed at the schools will equally benefit while the four Rural Health
Centres which include a mission hospital and three rural health centres are expected to directly benefit.
According to REA board chairperson Professor Jorry Mwenechanya, Rural Electrification drive remains one of the priority requirements to achieving economic growth and reducing poverty in the rural areas of Zambia.
Prof Mwenechanya says Government has given REA mandate to develop electricity infrastructure in such rural areas using appropriate technologies in order to contribute for the improvement of quality life which has for long remained underdeveloped.
Now, ever since its inception by the rural electrification act No. 20 of 2003, the authority has been using grid extension as its main technological option for electrifying rural growth centres which have been identified in the rural electrification master plan (REMP).
To some extent, this technology had its own disadvantages making the authority shift focus   towards intensifying of isolated Mini- Hydro grids mainly to reduce demand on the national grid.
“It must be noted that the mini-grids have a considerable potential of contributing to increasing power generation capacity at national level,” Prof Mwenechanya says.
REA manager corporate affairs Justine Mukosa says with the commencement of Kasanjiku project, the authority has also completed feasibility studies for the development of mini-hydro power plants on four other sites.
“These sites include, Chilinga falls in Nyimba district, that will produce an estimated capacity of 1 Megawatt, Zengamina in Mwinilunga, for an estimated capacity of 0.7 megawatts, Mujila falls in Mwinilunga district, at an estimated capacity of 1.4 Megawatts and at Chanda/Chavuma falls in Chavuma district, with an estimated capacity of 1.5 megawatts,” Mr Mukosa outlines.
In line with the Authority’s mandate of providing electricity infrastructure to rural areas using appropriate technology, the quality of life is likely to highly improve.
This is a honey-rich area which with the installation of the power in 2018 is expected to boom economically.
The Vice-President has already committed Government through the Zambia National Service (ZNS) to work on the deplorable roads in chief Ntambu’s area so as to increase access to the Honey and Pineapple businesses.
With economic activity boom that go with a good read, Mr Mukosa says REA has so far, contracted a 10 km stretch of access road leading to the historical Kasanjiku Mini hydro Power grid.
This is an economically viable area in making such that with the installation of power by the end of 2018 and improved access roads economic activities will certainly grow giving this area a totally lit facelift.