Rural Electrification Programme power 8000 rural institutions

Nearly 8 000 rural institutions have been electrified under the Rural Electrification Programme, its has emerged.

The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) is gaining ground by electrifying more rural institutions and households but revelations were that most of the rural people were unable to connect their homes to power due to high costs involved.

Manicaland alone has 1 442 rural institutions that have been electrified since 2002.

Rural Electrification Fund Public Relations Officer and Marketing Johannes Nyamayedenga revealed the developments during the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair that his organization was going ahead with the rural electrification programme despite the challenges faced by the country economically.

He said beside the rural electrification programme the company is embarked on other energy provision programme such as solar and biogas electricity services.

"So far we have installed about 4000 solar power to chiefs and other local leadership in parts of the country," said Nyamayedenga. "We get the funds from the electricity levy and government."

The Minister of Energy and Power Development Dzikamai Mavhaire who commissioned the Shinja electrification project recently said government is committed to conduct rural electrification in at least every district by end of 2015 urging villagers to compliment government efforts through making contributions.

Chimamani West legislator Munacho Mutezo said rural electrification is a way of empowering people in contrast to giving them handouts, sentiments echoed by REA Board Chairman Mr Willard Chiwewe.

The pace of rural electrification has increased since 2002 when a fund was created.

Before that, progress was slow with only 28 institutions being electrified between 1980 and 1995.

To date 7 854 institutions have been electrified.