A total of 300,000 Mozambicans use energy off the public grid through solar home electrification systems promoted by the Shine programme, which deals with renewable energy in Mozambique.
“Since we started, we have already benefited 300,000 Mozambicans and we intend to cover two million by 2024″, said Javier Ayala, representative of the Brilho programme, on the sidelines of a ceremony to present results this Friday in Maputo.
The five-year programme aims to accelerate access to off-grid renewable energy in Mozambique, “through solar home systems and green mini-grids for electrification”, as well as “improved cooking solutions”, with stoves that use less coal.
At the time, Sweden provided an additional £6.5 million (eight million euros) in funding for the programme.
Since it started in 2020, the programme has also benefited around 5,000 companies, out of a universe of 17,000 to be covered by 2024.
The Mozambican government considers that the off-grid energy market has a “fundamental role for the electrification programme” of the country, also noting that it contributes to the “reduction of emissions with an impact on climate change.
“Increasing the number of families with access to clean energy will have a positive environmental impact,” said Teodoro Vales, permanent secretary of the Mozambican Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy.
The Shine programme is based on 15 companies, and is funded by the United Kingdom, Swedish Agency for Development Cooperation and implemented by the Dutch Development Organisation (SNV).
According to figures provided on the spot, there are around 180,000 solar home systems installed in the country, 50,000 of which via the Brilho programme, which represents 60 percent of the target set by the Mozambican government.
