Sh10.9 billion to bring power to 105 Mbeya hamlets
What you need to know:
- The Sh10.9 billion project, financed by the Rural Energy Agency (REA), is expected to benefit around 3,465 customers across the region by expanding access to reliable electricity.
Dar es Salaam. The Electricity Transmission and Distribution Construction and Maintenance Company (ETDCO) has officially been handed the task of implementing a rural electrification project to connect 105 hamlets in Mbeya Region.
The Sh10.9 billion project, financed by the Rural Energy Agency (REA), is expected to benefit around 3,465 customers across the region by expanding access to reliable electricity.
Speaking during the handover ceremony in Igawilo Ward, Mbeya City, the Speaker of the National Assembly and Member of Parliament for Mbeya Urban, Dr Tulia Ackson, thanked President Samia Suluhu Hassan for continued investment in rural development.
Dr Ackson said that since the start of the REA programme in 2021/2022, the government has invested Sh71 billion in electrification projects across Mbeya.
“Our country now has enough electricity thanks to the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project,” she said. “The focus must now be on timely distribution. These 105 hamlets must be reached without delay.” ETDCO’s acting director of Technical Services, Dismas Massawe, assured stakeholders that the company is committed to completing the project within the agreed timeframe and to the required standards.
REA Board chairperson, Retired Major General Ambassador Jacob Kingu, encouraged residents to prepare their homes with the necessary wiring and infrastructure to ensure smooth connection once the electricity becomes available.
Local residents have welcomed the project, citing its potential to drive economic growth through small-scale businesses, agro-processing, and the adoption of modern farming techniques.
