Tanzanian government on Wednesday expressed determination to achieve its target of connecting all villages to the national grid by 2021. Medard Kalemani, the east African nations Energy Minister, made the statement during his official tour in north-western Tanzanias district of Geita. The tour aimed at inspecting implementation of rural electrification projects in the district located on the western shores of Lake Victoria. The Tanzanian official said that several villages had so far been connected in the first round under the third phase of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA). We are progressing well with implementation of the third phase of REA, Kalemani said, noting that the move is in line with the governments endeavor of transforming Tanzania into an industrial economy by 2025. Our aim is to industrialize the economy, and well do so if our people are connected with reliable power, the minister added. In August 2016, the World Bank signed an MoU with the Government of Tanzania to provide some 209 million U.S. dollars for the implementation of the countrys Rural Electrification Expansion Program. The program was aimed at connecting 2.5 million Tanzanian households in rural areas to the national electricity grid over the next 5 years. Xinhua
