The ManicaPost
AS the country trudges towards attaining an upper middle-income economy by 2030, National Development Strategy (NDS1) is prioritising the electrification of households, schools, clinics and industries.
This emanates from the understanding that for all the country’s districts to contribute meaningfully towards the attainment of Vision 2030, access to modern forms of energy is essential.
In fact, electricity unlocks economic potential as it is an enabler of industrial development, social welfare and improved healthcare.
Most importantly, access to energy has the potential to improve the quality of life.
Once all schools are electrified and connected to internet services, the quality of education will improve vastly.
With health facilities connected to the national power grid, most cases will no longer have to be referred to district or provincial hospitals.
As a result, the child mortality rate will significantly tumble downwards as expecting mothers will give birth in well-lit and conducive environments.
That said, the 2012 census indicated that Zimbabwe had a population of just over 13 million, with 67 percent residing in rural areas.
The report went on to highlight that 56 percent of all Zimbabwean households had no access to electricity, with almost 70 percent of them using wood for cooking.
A decade later, strides have been made in correcting this anomaly.
A lot of ground has been covered by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA).
True to Government’s commitment which is in line with Sustainable Development Goal Seven which seeks to ensure access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy as a way of delivering economic development and eradicating poverty by 2030; no one and no place is being left behind.
We report elsewhere in this paper that Zesa has already availed US$30 million for Manicaland’s electrification programme.
Close to 100 households in Maonde, Sakubva, were among the first beneficiaries of the project after going for more than two years without electricity.
More households and institutions in Mutare, Nyanga, Rusape, Chipinge and Chimanimani are expected to be lit up in the near future.
While previously most efforts in improving access to electricity were concentrated in urban areas, the Second Dispensation has made significant progress with the Rural Electrification Programme – even though in some areas there is still a long way to go to get the entire population connected to the national grid.
But as more and more households and institutions are electrified, energy efficiency should be the buzz phrase.
In this day and age where efficient and energy-saving equipment is available, there is absolutely no justification for holding on to energy guzzling obsolete manufacturing plants that are also unkind to the environment.
Cutting on the power bill will translate to lower production costs, thereby making our products more competitive on the global market.
But while the uptake of solar and hydropower has been huge countrywide, provision of other modern energy services needs to be promoted.
The usage of biogas, for example, remains marginal despite the availability of animal and human waste in rural areas.
More biogas plants should therefore be established as they will assist in energy production as well as environmental conservation.
The same applies to wind energy.
Most areas in Manicaland are windy and this wind can easily be harnessed to pump water to households or fields.
This is a clean energy option that remains underutilised.
Making the most of these renewable energy options will give Manicaland an upper hand in delivering cheaper energy for the benefit of local communities.
With the several licenced Independent Power Producers dotted across the province working round the clock to guarantee Manicaland’s energy efficiency, the energy situation can only get better.
After all, a journey of a thousand miles begin with a single step.
