Malawi is participating in a two-day Energy Summit taking place in Tanzania to discuss a project that will see 300 million people in sub-Saharan Africa connected to electricity by 2030.
The summit, which starts today, has brought together heads of State and government, including President Lazarus Chakwera, as well as business captains.
The World Bank Group, African Development Bank (AfDB), and other partners have launched this ambitious programme called Mission 300 that is expected to increase access to electricity in the region.
In a press statement, AfDB said the project has two main goals, namely expanding the electricity grid and increasing connections in underserved areas, as well as deploying mini-grids and standalone solar solutions to bring power to remote, off-grid communities.
Reads the statement: “At the same time, Mission 300 is modernising Africa’s energy sector by catalysing infrastructure investment, driving comprehensive policy reforms, and mobilising private investment.
“The significant leap will deliver reliable, sustainable, and affordable electricity to people, businesses, schools, and hospitals all over the continent. Connecting 300 million people to electricity.”
In a written response, Ministry of Energy spokesperson Austin Theu said Malawi is one of 12 African countries selected to develop a National Energy Compact, and the summit offers a platform to showcase Malawi’s success stories in expanding energy access and present the energy projects outlined in the compact.
He said the National Energy Compact is key in resource mobilisation.
Said Theu: “The compact aligns with the Africa Region Energy Compact and the United Nations Energy Compact, serving as a key instrument for advancing Malawi’s energy access goals and contributing to the broader Mission 300 initiative.
“It provides a unique opportunity to attract support and investment for these transformative initiatives, and for Malawi to reaffirm its commitment to achieving universal energy access.”
Ministry of Energy statistics show that currently, the overall electricity access rate in Malawi stands at 25.9 percent, with 11.3 percent connected to the national grid and 14.6 percent relying on off-grid systems.
Solar energy provides approximately 99 percent of off-grid electricity.
Under the National Energy Compact 2024 by 2030 Malawi targets “to electrify all public institutions using both grid and off-grid systems.”
According to the Malawi Integrated Energy Plan’s Electrification Report released in October 2022, the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) and off-grid providers served approximately 750 000 households out of 4 435 million households, leaving 3.7 million households unconnected.
Out of the 750 000 households, 550 000 were grid-served consumers.
On top of the high number of households unconnected, the report showed “approximately 3 843 public facilities do not yet have access to electricity service”.
The electrification report projected that there will be 5.5 million households in Malawi by 2030.
Source: The nation-Suzgo Chitete-staff writer-27 January 2025