Windhoek — HUNDREDS of villagers in Sibbinda Constituency in the Caprivi Region, who are tired of fetching wood for their energy needs and who intend to switch to alternative sources have expressed a keen interest in securing low-interest loans to buy solar panels.

The low-interest loans from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) were availed to Namibia through the Ministry of Mines and Energy and have since February this year been administered by Konga Investments, a private firm.

Villagers in Sibbinda, like tens of thousands of others heavily depend on firewood chopped from ever shrinking forests to meet constantly growing energy needs.

Felix Mukupi, a businessman-cum-politician said he has of late been engaged in talks with officials from Konga Investments so that villagers in Sibbinda, where he is the regional councillor, could benefit from the loans to enable them to buy solar panels.

He told New Era in an interview that many of the villagers he had enlightened about the solar scheme have expressed a great interest in this relatively cheap energy source.

Among the villagers he briefed about the loans available for the ambitious solar project whose benefits apart from lightning, cooking and heating are multiple are the ones residing at Sibbinda, Kasheshe, Kaliyangile, Mazoba, Lusu, Malundu, Kanono, Sikubi, Sishako, Muketela and Chinchimani among other settlements.

Mukupi says the solar scheme has the potential to benefit upwards of 8 000 villagers who have not been able to benefit from the ongoing Rural Electrification Scheme.

Price tags on the solar panels range between N$6 000 on 25 watt panels that come with a power gauge, a plug, a 105 Ah battery, a regulator plus some cables, and N$30 000 for a 300 watts panel with a capacity to power 16 lights and consists of a power gauge, plugs, a 525 Ah battery, a regulator, cables and an inverter.

The 25 watts solar panel has a capacity to power two bulbs, a nine voltage radio and a cell phone charger while the 300 watts panel could easily light 16 bulbs, a hi-fi system, a 51 cm colour TV, a video machine, DSTV plus a cell phone charger. The solar panels could also be used to power units that pump water from the ground and they could also eliminate hut fires.

Monthly instalments on these loans could be as little as N$95 to N$475, while deposits that are determined by the amounts borrowed could range from N$300 to N$1 500.

Mukupi feels if the solar panels are installed, villagers could initiate bread-baking projects and they could use them to store the meat, dairy products and for refreshments.

He appealed to villagers to apply for loans to buy the solar panels that will make their livelihoods much easier.

"The scheme will simply uplift our communities and so far many others in different parts of the country have been able to benefit," he said.

The ruling Swapo Party politician feels the solar scheme will also complement the Rural Electrification Project.

"That is why I want our people to immediately apply so that they can benefit," he said. When contacted for comment on the solar project Tangeni Shikomba, the marketing manager and technical adviser at Konga Investments said so far, over 672 homes from all the country's 13 regions have benefited from the scheme.

Shikomba said once Konga has undertaken a thorough credit check on applicants and it has satisfied itself that the applicant has a good credit rating on top of an income, the loans are approved and technicians dispatched to the homestead of such people.