The government plans to spend Sh103 billion in implementing rural electrification projects in 16 regions in Tanzania mainland in the coming financial year. The regions involved are Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Manyara, Tanga, Mwanza, Mara, Coast, Morogoro, Dodoma, Singida, Mbeya, Rukwa, Tabora, Kigoma, Kagera and Shinyanga.

Such a plan is commendable in a country whose 76.9 per cent of 40 million people live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their living. We hope that a similar programme will be expanded to cover the rest of rural areas in both Mainland and Zanzibar.

Lighting up such areas will speed up socioeconomic development and reverse the tide of rural-urban migration in search of employment.

Rural electrification is expected to stimulate agro-processing, add value to agricultural products, minimise crop losses, raise incomes and improve living standards.

It will also check the rate of deforestation because firewood is the main source of energy in many rural and even urban households. Firewood and charcoal account for 93 per cent of the country's total energy consumption.

About 400,000 hectares of forests are felled annually, leaving the land bare and vulnerable to erosion.

Electricity accounts for 0.6 per cent of the total energy consumption and only three quarters of the country -- mainly urban areas -- are connected to the national grid. It is important for the rest of the country including an estimated 8,200 villages to be supplied with electricity to curb deforestation.

It is therefore encouraging to hear that the government has secured Sh103 billion for energy projects while donors will fund other programmes through the Rural Electrification Agency and development partners. We would like the funds to be spent judiciously. For years, impressive projects have been drawn up only to stall or to be rocked by corruption scandals.

We also call on the government to explore other sources of energy such as wind and solar for the country to have abundant and inexpensive power.