The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group is granting 36 million US dollars to Mozambique to support the electrification of the country.
The “Mozambique Energy for All Project” will increase the number of residential connections to the electricity grid, enhance power exports, and improve the quality of the domestic and regional supply.
According to an AfDB statement, this grant will go towards electrification in Zambezia and Nampula provinces which will be executed in collaboration with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to ensure that it includes internally displaced persons and the Maratane refugee settlement.
It will also fund the updating and construction of a new national control centre to boost power exports by the publicly-owned electricity company, EDM. Overall, the elements of the project funded by the grant aim to triple energy exports, incorporate more renewable sources such as solar and wind power, and attract more investment as domestic power supplies and stability improve. In addition, there will be about 49,000 new electricity connections.
The AfDB Country Manager for Mozambique, Cesar Augusto Mba Abogo, said that the approval of the project by the Board of Directors was a significant milestone. He added, “The African Development Bank and its partners in the “Mozambique Energy for All” project are committed to working collaboratively with the government, local communities and authorities to implement such an important project for the country”.
He stressed that “this project will contribute to the government’s ambition to provide every Mozambican citizen with electricity by 2030 with particular attention given to residents of Nampula Province, which shelters internally displaced persons who fled militant attacks in northern Cabo Delgado Province as well as refugees from abroad”.
UNHCR Representative Samuel Chakwera said “Mozambique’s development needs hinge around providing stable electricity for industry while also ensuring that the poorest are not left behind”. He pointed out that “providing affordable electrical connections to displaced persons and refugees, while ensuring that Mozambique’s electrical grid can better support the country and the region’s needs, creates a win-win situation that will improve the lives of forcibly displaced people and the communities that host them”.
The project will also support Mozambique’s membership of the Africa Trade Insurance Agency (which provides insurance against political and commercial risk) and improve the financial health of the national electricity utility. The project will be co-financed by the governments of Sweden and Germany through the German development bank KfW.
In October, President Filipe Nyusi inaugurated the connection to the national grid of Mazucane, in the southern province of Gaza. This was the 37th out of 45 administrative posts that will be connected to the grid by the end of 2024. Speaking at the event, he stressed that “the government will spare no effort to electrify the country, especially the rural areas where the majority of the people live”.
