The government has reiterated the call for people who have no financial resources to apply for electricity connection loan. Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining, Aggrey Masi, said this on Sunday 21, October, 2018 when he switched on electricity at Mankhamba in Thyolo District, as part of Malawi Rural Electrification Programme (Marep) Phase 8. “We know that some some people in rural areas that were electrified are failing to power their houses because of exorbitant electricity connection prices”.
“We as the government, have a loan facility called Ndawala, available to poor families who can not afford to get connected to the national electricity grid. Such people can get a loan and settle the loan as they buy electricity units,” he said. Meanwhile, Thyolo West parliamentarian, Charles Mchacha, who represents the area, has hailed Marep. He said the programme can addres the problem of rapid urbanisation in the country.
The 2008 Population and Housing Census indicates that the urban population growth rate is at 3.9 percent per year, and it is projected that, by the year 2030, and around 20 percent of the population will trek to towns and cities. “Rapid urbanisation is turning into a problem; yes, but electrifying rural areas will significantly reduce rural-urban migration as rural people will be enjoying services that are offered in towns and cities.
“As I am speaking, the programme has improved the lives of people not only here, in STA (Sub-Traditional Authority) Ngomano in the area of Senior Chief Thomas, but the whole country because almost each and every constituency has benefited from the initiatives,” Mchacha said. One of the beneficiaries, Paulo Tebulo from Horace Village, said the programme has eased some of the challenges they were encountering, including covering long distance to access services offered at maize mills.
“We used to cover long distances and, sometimes, travel at night to access maize mill services at Chithebe Trading Centre. That is history no. Even our children will have ample time for studies,”he said.