Mozambique’s state-owned electricity utility company, Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM), has announced the approval of a $131 million finance package from the World Bank for the implementation of the project aimed at Accelerating Sustainable and Clean Energy Access Transformation (ASCENT project) in Mozambique.
Of the amount approved, $117 million will be managed by EDM, while the rest will be allocated to components led by the National Energy Fund (FUNAE) and Mozambique’s Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (MIREME).
This initiative, which is part of the third phase of the “Energy for All Project”, is aimed at ensuring universal access to electricity in Mozambique by 2030.
The first phase of the project will connect around 146,000 new consumers to the grid, benefiting approximately 700,000 people in Maputo, Sofala, Manica, Tete, Zambézia and Nampula provinces.
“With this funding, it will be possible to significantly expand the National Electricity Grid. It is planned to build 3,300 kilometers of low-voltage network, 2,200 kilometers of medium-voltage network and install 2,200 transformers”, reads the announcement.
Funding will be channelled through the International Development Association (IDA), in close collaboration with the Mozambican government.
The project’s preparatory and operational activities have already begun.
ASCENT Program
Mozambique is not the only nation that stands to benefit from the ASCENT deal.
Earlier this year, the World Bank signed the Accelerating Sustainable and Clean Energy Access Transformation (ASCENT) deal along with the government of Malawi, aimed at providing energy access to over 4 million people.
ASCENT, a regional energy project involving Malawi, was unveiled on Monday, January 27, 2025, by the country’s Energy Ministry on the sidelines of the Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit, held between January 27 and 28, 2025, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
The government, through the Compact, has adjusted the universal 2030 access target to a more achievable 70% by 2030, in line with “Malawi Vision 2063.”
The World Bank said the ASCENT program is expected to provide life-transforming opportunities for 100 million people across 20 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa, placing the region on the path to universal energy access.
