AfDB, Mozambique light up 80,000 households, businesses

“The expansion of the Dondo substation will not just light up households and family units. It will also power the industrial growth of the Sofala and Manica provinces, creating more dynamic markets for agricultural commodities and ultimately contribute to job creation and the economic growth of the country,” Filipe Nyusi, President of the Republic of Mozambique said at the commissioning ceremony of the Electricity IV Project at Dondo District in Mozambique.
The African Development Bank provided US $ 35million in soft loans from the African Development Fund (ADF) and US $10 million from the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) managed by the Bank to finance the project. The Dondo substation project will provide up 80,000 households and businesses with access to electricity and improve the reliability and quality of power supply to more than one million people in the Sofala and Manica Provinces in central Mozambique.
The project includes the construction of a 170 kilometer and 220 kilovolt (kV) overhead transmission line along the Beira Corridor.
The President of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, who was represented at the commissioning ceremony by Pietro Toigo, the Bank’s Country Manager for Mozambique, said: “This was a long and challenging project, but we are delighted that we stayed the course and can now celebrate 80,000 households and businesses gaining new access to energy in Sofala province only. This is one step on the way to achieving the Government of Mozambique’s aim to provide universal access to electricity to all citizens by 2030.”
The Bank is committed to supporting the Government to light up and power Mozambique.
According to Mateus Magala, Chairman and CEO of Electricitade de Mozambique (EDM), the project partner, “We see the African Development Bank as a trusted partner for energy sector development in Mozambique. Our vision is to transform Mozambique into an energy hub for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, leveraging its geographical position as a gateway to six neighbouring countries and further expanding its energy export base by strengthening the regional interconnection system,”