Only 39% of Mozambicans have access to electricity – Carta

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Only 39% of Mozambicans have access to electricity – Carta

1:35 CAT | 28 Apr 2022

Photo: O País

Only 39% of the Mozambican population – corresponding to just 12 million Mozambicans – has access to electricity.

The figure was cited by Marcelino Gildo Alberto, chairman of the Board of Directors of Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM), during the launch ceremony of the EDM’s 45th anniversary celebrations.

According to Alberto, during this 45-year period, the main change was an increase in coverage in terms of electrification in the country.

“When the EDM inherited the electrification services on August 27, 1977, only 15 districts were connected to the National Electricity Network. By 2018, the Electrification Plan for the 154 district headquarters had been fully implemented, while currently, the focus is to bring energy to all administrative post headquarters by 2024,” he explained.

On the other hand, EDM’s Director of Revenue Protection and Loss Control, Amilton Alisson, pointed out that the quality of workers had changed greatly in the past 45 years. At the moment, the company has a very significant number of workers trained at national level and, currently, it can be said that EDM is wholly staffed by Mozambican workers.

“They are Mozambicans, those who built EDM – they are the ones who are operating and are bringing electricity to all Mozambicans. At the moment, the company has about 3,600 workers, all nationals,” Alisson said.

However, one of the main challenges is to ensure that, by 2030, that is, within eight years, all Mozambicans have access to energy. This objective brings with it other challenges, such as ensuring reliability and making EDM more economically and operationally efficient, so that all its resources are used in the country’s electrification programme.

It means, for EDM, improving the quality of the workforce, through internal and external training and ensuring the search for the best human resources outside the company (in universities, technical education institutions and others) – workers who can uphold the legacy of yesterday and today.

In addition, Alisson gave a positive assessment of the rural electrification program, which has been increasing the company’s customer base and turnover, as well as EDM’s presence throughout the country.

By Marta Alfonso

Source: Carta de Moçambique