Story by Wadzanai Mandima
THE Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has installed a 150-kilowatt solar power system in Nzvimbe, Makoni Central, as part of the government’s efforts to expand access to reliable and sustainable electricity in rural areas.
The installation marks another milestone in the national rural electrification programme, aimed at supporting economic activities, healthcare, and overall community development.
Residents welcomed the project, citing improvements to livelihoods and public services.
“I am happy with the electricity that the government has installed for us, and we can now raise chickens.
“I am so happy with the electricity now at the clinic, as patients, we can now have all services.
“As a business person, I am very happy with the coming of electricity to our business center, and this is going to boost our business. People would walk long distances to buy fresh meat and cold drinks because we could not provide the services here,” residents said.
Rural Electrification Agency Acting Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Felista Makumbinde, outlined the importance of the project.
“As REA, we do not look at how remote the area is. Our mandate is to electrify every rural area, and we are not ending here. By the time we reach 2030, all the rural areas would have been electrified,” she said.
The provision of electricity in rural areas is in line with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s mantra of leaving no one and no place behind.
“What happened here today is a clear sign that President Mnangagwa’s leaving no one and no place behind mantra is taking shape,” Manicaland Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Honourable Misheck Mugadza said.
The electrification of rural areas is also in line with the Government’s vision for an upper-middle-income society by 2030.
