Maputo — Mozambique's Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Carlos Zacarias, on Friday inaugurated the connection to the national electricity grid of the Zinhane administrative post, in Chigubo district, in the southern province of Gaza.

This was the 41st administrative post to be electrified out of the 45 posts in Gaza. The electrification of Zinhane cost 48.6 million meticais (about 760,000 US dollars), entirely financed from the Mozambican state budget.

According to Zacarias, cited in a press release issued by the publicly-owned electricity company, EDM, the electrification of Zinhane is an important step in implementing the government's promise to electrify all the country's administrative posts by 2024.

Electrification, he said, would provide better living conditions for the population of Zinhane, and provide a new dynamic in areas such as agriculture, fisheries, agro-processing and tourism.

Zacarias said the percentage of the population with electricity in their homes has risen from 42 per cent in 2021 to 52 per cent in 2023.

"In the last three years, more than 1.2 million Mozambican households have had access to electricity for the first time', added the Minister.

The electrification of Zinhane consisted of building 24 kilometres of medium voltage transmission line, five kilometres of low voltage line, and two 100 kVa transformer post. This project seeks to link, in its initial phase, 400 new clients to the national grid.

Zacarias urged the population of Zinhane to consume electricity rationally, and to combat any vandalization of electrical material and theft of electricity, which he described as crimes that are delaying attainment of the target of universal access to electricity by 2030.