The African Development Bank (AfDB) has given $180 million to Rwanda’s four-year energy project, seeking to raise the number of homes connected to electricity in the next two years.
The money is in addition to another $84 million Rwanda received in May last year.
The AfDB loan will aid in constructing more than 1,000 kilometres of medium voltage and 3,300 kilometres of low voltage lines, thus boosting last-mile access. It will also help in building 137 kilometres of high voltage lines and six substations.
It is expected to connect 77,470 households to the electricity network for the first time. Slightly over half of Rwanda’s 13 million population currently have access to electricity.
The project will also hook up 75 schools, eight health and 65 administration centres, and enable the evacuation of 125MW of clean energy from hydropower plants. It will further create 455 permanent jobs and 760 part-time jobs, and strengthen the network in Kigali’s commercial areas.
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