DEPUTY Prime Minister and Minister for Energy, Dr Doto Biteko on Wednesday assured that Tanzania is fully committed to supporting realisation of universal electricity access in Africa by 2030.
Briefing journalists on the side-line of the 9th Africa Energy Market Place meeting in Dar es Salaam, Dr Biteko said the country will leverage on its excess power generation to complement neighbouring countries' demand.
The government assurance echoes its on-going implementation of different major electricity projects including the Julius Nyerere Hydro Power Project (JNHPP), which upon completion will add 2115 Megawatts to the National Grid, significantly making the country attain energy self-sufficiency.
The 9th Africa Energy Market Place meeting which is co-organised by the government through the Ministry of Energy and the African Development Bank (AfDB) intends to boost the country's effort to clean cooking and electricity access countrywide.
Dr Biteko said the meeting is part of the country's preparation towards hosting the forthcoming Africa Heads of State Energy Compact Summit which will be held in the country in January, 2025 with the objective of raising about 190 billion US dollar (about 517.498tri/-) to provide electricity to 300 million people in the continent by 2030.
He said Tanzania has been picked by the AfDB to host the two-day 9th Africa Energy Market Place and the upcoming Africa Heads of State Energy Compact Summit due to the sixth-phase government's strategy to rapidly extend electricity access to rural and peri-urban areas.
As a result, he said Tanzania offers best practice to other African countries when it comes to rural electrification by considering the fact that currently almost all villages are connected with electricity.
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"The country stands as the role model when it comes to rural electrification in the continent. As we embark on ensuring 300 million people in Africa have access to power by 2030, Tanzania is at the driving seat of transformation by ensuring first it gets connected with neighbouring countries' electricity infrastructure," he said.
To advance universal electricity access in the continent, he said the country has been entering into partnership with neighbouring countries including Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and Zambia to facilitate supply of electricity to them.
In another development, he said the government's implementation of the National Clean Cooking Energy Strategy is on track with 400,000 subsidised gas cylinders set aside to be distributed across the country.
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Under the National Clean Cooking Energy Strategy, the country targets to ensure 80 per cent of households use clean cooking energy by 2034 from the current approximately 10 per cent.
The clean cooking initiative also seeks to prevent deforestation thereby cutting carbon emission and conserving the environment by switching to eco-friendly cooking energy including gases and electricity.
Dr Biteko requested the AfDB to support financially the Tanzania efforts to achieve its ambitious energy strategy.
For his part, the AfDB's Vice-President of Energy, Power, Climate Change and Green Growth, Dr Kevin Kariuki assured Tanzania of the continental financial body's back up to realise transition to clean cooking targets.
Dr Kariuki stated that the AfDB has selected Tanzania to host two energy events as a recognition of its ongoing efforts to modernise energy use, which positively impact not only the nation but the entire continent.
Earlier, during the panel discussion at the 9th Africa Energy Marketplace, the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Energy, Eng Felchesmi Mramba asked participants to share experiences, explore opportunities and forge partnerships that aim at simplifying the affordability and availability of clean cooking technologies in the country.
The meeting which started yesterday will be concluded today.
