Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining says it is committed to ensuring that the country´s rural areas are transformed through the Malawi Rural Electrification Programme (Marep). The minister responsible, Aggrey Masi, said this on Saturday at Kanyimbi Trading Centre in Senior Chief Tengani in Nsanje during the switching on of Kanyimbi power Line under Marep 8. He said through Marep 8, government has electrified about 336 areas nationwide. “In the areas where the connection has already been done, people´s lives have really changed for the better,” said Masi. Get more information on the improvements through Marep 8 in the article “Govt to transform rural areas through Marep” (The Nation Malawi) on the first picture.
The government has challenged people and organisations that are failing to access electricity under Marep Phase 8 to apply for a power connection loan. Aggrey Masi made the sentiments after getting inundated with reports that, despite having trading centres that are connected to electricity under Marep Phase 8, some people are yet to be connected, a development attributed to high charges associated with power connection. […] However, he could not be drawn to comment on how much has been committed to the cause. “That [the issue of people failing to pay to get connected to the national electricity grid] is history because my ministry is now ready to assist those that cannot afford to pay for connection. What will happen is that those that cannot do their own wiring can contact us and we will do it for them but at a cost so that, at the end of everything, what they will pay [to Escom as monthly bills] a little bit of that will go towards payment of the job that was done during the wiring of that house,” Masi said. Get more information on Marep in the article “Govt offers loans for electricity connection” (The Daily Times Malawi) on the second picture.