CHALINZE, April, 2025¡ªAfter spending a long time living in Kawe, near Tanzania¡¯s bustling business capital of Dar es Salaam, Mosi Gungurugwa decided to relocate to Buyuni, a small village approximately 90 km away in Vigwaza, Chalinze district. As a businesswoman, she was driven by the desire to find new opportunities. ¡°I was told that there are many things one can do here, so I came and conducted my research in 2016. After seeing the potential, I fully relocated in 2019,¡± she shared.
Starting up wasn¡¯t easy. ¡°I began with a mobile money business, while also selling fried snacks. In 2020, I opened a salon, relying mainly on solar power, supplied by a neighbor.¡± Solar, however, which depends on the weather, was unreliable without batteries. ¡°I tried to start using a generator, hoping I would at least have electricity whenever I had a customer. But it proved costly and consumed most of my profits.¡±
With Buyuni¡¯s recent electrification, Mosi has changed to a stationery business, which has quickly become a financial boon for her and the community. Residents no longer have to endure the 9 km journey to Vigwaza center, a trip that cost up to 5,000 Tanzanian shillings (about $2) in fares, simply for photocopying and passport photos.
Buyuni is one of the thousands of villages recently connected to electricity through the government¡¯s rural electrification program, supported by the , with $550 million in financing from the International Development Association (Å·ÃÀÈÕb´óƬ). TREEP¡¯s development objectives are to provide new and improved electricity services to the people of Tanzania; to increase supply of renewable energy as part of Tanzania¡¯s energy mix and support reduction in GHG emissions; and to increase energy security and resilience to climate shocks, while improving the financial sustainability of the sector.
Nearly 600 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa live without access to electricity, representing of the world¡¯s unelectrified population. Å·ÃÀÈÕb´óƬ Group, African Development Bank and other partners are collaborating on Mission 300, an initiative to accelerate the pace of electrification and connect 300 million people by 2030.
New businesses bloom
Mariam Yusufu, also a local shop owner in Buyuni, started out with a small hut selling staples, such as dried fish, flour, and maize. She relied on solar power for lighting. Access to the grid has allowed her to expand into a thriving convenience shop, offering a much wider selection of goods, including refrigerated drinks which were previously hard to come by.
Other entrepreneurs have seen their businesses flourish too. ¡°Before electrification, I had to rent a lamp for 600 shillings (about 25 cents) every evening to light up my restaurant. Now, with electricity, I've not only eliminated that cost but expanded my menu to include juices, which my customers prefer served cold,¡± said Hidaya Tinde, a local food vendor. The extra income has made a real difference, allowing her to pay for her children's schooling needs and even start building a house.
For Yahaya Omary, grid electricity gave him the chance to adapt to a changing reality in his line of work. ¡°I started out operating a boda boda,¡± he said, referring to his motorbike taxi. ¡°But, as more operators entered the market, finding customers became a real challenge. With electrification, I saw an opportunity to open a mobile money and cellphone service shop. Electricity makes all the difference in running this business.¡±
Electrification has also spurred the development of small-scale industries, including brickmaking and welding, resulting in a doubling of council revenue. According to Village Executive Officer, Siasa Said Rutengwe, this has strengthened the local economy and attracted more residents to Buyuni.
Shimba Bilal, a local farmer and brickmaker, explained: ¡°I came here for the farming opportunities, but it is the electricity, and the steady income from brickmaking that made me decide to stay.¡±
Striving for universal access
The rural electrification program has made important strides in grid extension and increased connectivity, as well as in strengthening sector capacity. Notably, the program has achieved its target of 1.5 million connections. This translates into tangible benefits for nearly 8 million people, connecting around 1,600 healthcare facilities, almost 6,500 educational facilities, and over 16,000 businesses.
¡°This electrification progress speaks to Tanzania's commitment to achieving universal energy access and solidifying its leadership in the energy sector as recently demonstrated through its hosting of the Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit at which time the Dar es Salaam Energy Declaration was endorsed by attending Heads of States,¡± said Nathan Belete, World Bank Country Director."
From struggling with seasonal irrigation to thriving with year-round okra cultivation, the Ngageni women's group is another illustration of the impact rural electrification has. Faced with unreliable rains, the association based in Tanga, 400km north of Dar es Salaam, and led by Fatma Kaimu, secured a loan to build a well and buy a generator.
However, it was the arrival of the grid in December 2023 that truly changed lives. Reduced costs and reliable power have enabled year-round irrigation, boosting the group¡¯s yields of okra. With their access to water secured, they now focus on fertilizer, using its returns. "We currently use organic fertilizers, but to expand production and grow crops like amaranth and spinach, we'll eventually need inorganic options. We plan to get to this after repaying the loan for the well and generator," said Fatma.
