AfDB, Mozambican gov't light up 80,000 households, businesses

20 Décembre 2017

Maputo, Mozambique, December 20  (Infosplusgabon) -“The expansion of the Dondo substation will not just light up households and family units. It will also power the industrial growth of the Sofala and Manica provinces, creating more dynamic markets for agricultural commodities and ultimately contributing to job creation and the economic growth of the country,” the words of Filipe Nyusi, the Mozambican president, at the commissioning ceremony of the Electricity IV Project at Dondo District in Mozambique.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) provided US$ 35 million in soft loans from the African Development Fund (ADF) and US$ 10 million from the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), managed by the Bank, to finance the project.

According to the AfDB media outlet, the Dondo substation project will provide up 80,000 households and businesses with access to electricity and improve the reliability and quality of power supply to more than one million people in the Sofala and Manica Provinces in central Mozambique.

The project includes the construction of a 170-kilometre and 220 kilovolt (kV) overhead transmission line along the Beira Corridor.

The AfDB President, Akinwumi Adesina, who was represented at the commissioning ceremony by Pietro Toigo, the Bank’s Country Manager for Mozambique, said: “This was a long and challenging project, but we are delighted that we stayed the course and can now celebrate 80,000 households and businesses gaining new access to energy in Sofala province only. This is one step on the way to achieving Mozambique’s aim to provide universal access to electricity to all citizens by 2030.”

The Bank is committed to supporting the Government to light up and power Mozambique, he said.

According to Mateus Magala, Chairman and CEO of Electricitade de Mozambique (EDM), the project partner, “We see the African Development Bank as a trusted partner for energy sector development in Mozambique. Our vision is to transform Mozambique into an energy hub for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, leveraging its geographical position as a gateway to six neighbouring countries and further expanding its energy export base by strengthening the regional interconnection system,”

FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/MRD/GABON 2017

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