According to Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa, Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, 33,457 free electricity connections will be made available in the Kigezi sub-region during the current fiscal year. The project aims to enhance socioeconomic development and encourage the expansion of cottage industries.
In order to encourage the development of cottage enterprises, the Kigezi sub-region will receive 33,457 free energy connections this fiscal year, according to the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Ms. Ruth Nankabirwa.
The revelation was made by Ms. Nankabirwa on Thursday at the commissioning of rural electrification projects in the Kigezi sub-region at the Kyevu landing site in Butanda sub-county Kabale District. She said that the government’s goal is to ensure that all citizens have access to electricity for the nation’s socio-economic development.
She also disclosed that the government’s goal includes, among other things, raising living standards, improving access to education, and providing better health care.
“In the six districts that make up the Kigezi sub-region, we plan to install 33,457 free connections this fiscal year. Kanungu, Kisoro, Rubanda, Rukiga, and Rukungiri will each receive 4,525, 3,660, 2,196, 8,729, and 7,765 free connections respectively. The National Electrification Strategy, which my Ministry is guided by, the Sustainable Energy Developmental Objectives in the National Development Plan III, and Uganda’s Vision 2040 all loudly proclaim the government’s intentions towards electrification, according to Ms. Nankabirwa.
After electricity is operational, she continued, the challenge is figuring out how to use it effectively.
According to Ms. Nankabirwa, “We hope that people will use this power to improve their livelihood by opening small businesses like restaurants, welding shops, and saloons as well as extending the hours of operation in schools and health facilities.”
She claimed that the collaboration between the government of Uganda and the African Development Bank, China EXIM Bank, World Bank, and KFW Funding was the key to the rural electrification program’s success.
When asked about the high power rates and load shedding by the local leaders, Ms. Nankabirwa said that the rates will continue to drop every time the loans taken out for the supply of electricity were paid back. She also urged the populace to utilize electricity productively.
