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Z’bar in major power scheme
2006-01-09 08:45:18
By Mwinyi Sadallah, Zanzibar
The Zanzibar Electricity Company Ltd has unveiled a plan to connect rural people to electricity on credit.
The plan is intended to speed up the implementation of the national poverty reduction programmes and conserve the environment at the same time.
The firm’s managing director, Suleiman Ali Juma, said in a statement that the programme, to be implemented from this year, would benefit Unguja and Pemba rural villages.
It will target poor families who cannot afford to meet the high cost of power connection because of low incomes.
’Under the project, the company will increase its customer base and reduce environmental destruction caused by massive felling of trees,’ said the MD.
The project would help villagers from Unguja and Pemba to develop small-scale income generating activities such as sale of fish and animal products.
’This is in line with the government’s commitment to enabling people in the rural areas to engage in alternative income generating activities, besides farming, ’ he said.
To reduce accumulated debts, the company will install pre-paid meters (Tukuza) in Unguja.
Currently, the company has 52,100 connected customers, out of who 13,550 use Tukuza and 38,550 others use ordinary meters.
To boost efficiency in the supply of electricity, Suleiman said the power company is shopping for a donor to finance a project to fetch electricity from Tanga to Pemba through the Indian Ocean.
Besides, he said, the company is conducting a feasibility study to generate electricity from sea waves instead of relying on electricity from Kidatu Hydro Power Station on the Mainland.
The company is one of Tanesco’s customers, which has accumulated debts amounting to billions of shillings.
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