By Tiyese Monjeza:
Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) is set to connect 235,000 new householders to electricity within the next five years under the Accelerating Sustainable and Clean Energy Access Transformation (Ascent) Malawi Project.
The project is aimed at expanding access to reliable and clean electricity, especially in areas currently not connected to the national grid.
The World Bank is providing financial and technical support for the project.
According to a project outline presented by Ministry of Energy and Mining officials to the Zomba City Council (ZCC) Executive Committee on Wednesday, the project is valued at $250.8 million.
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Department of Energy Affairs, Policy and Planning Division, Statistician Ella Lisuntha said the project would target 27 districts in the country to enable Malawi to achieve its strategic goal of reaching at least 50 percent electricity access by 2030, in line with Malawi 2063 vision aspirations.
“This flagship project will ensure easy access to electricity where part of the target is upgrading 500 transformers.
“The project will also ensure electricity connection to 280 health facilities and 1,000 primary and secondary schools for improved service delivery,” Lisuntha said.
She said the Ascent Malawi Project succeeds the Malawi Energy Access Project (Meap), which facilitated 189,110 new electricity connections between 2021 and 2025.
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In a recent statement, Escom said the first phase of the project was expected to commence this month, with implementation activities already at an advanced planning stage.
It said the project was expected to reach its peak implementation phase in May, marking a critical period for network expansion works.
Zomba District is expected to benefit from the project with 11,335 new electricity connections.
ZCC Director of Engineering Martin Kumbani appealed for proper inspection of households by engaging local councils.
