The President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan, expressed the country’s ambition to increase electricity connectivity to 72 percent among Tanzanians by 2030. This commitment was made during the launch of the National Energy Compact for 12 African countries on the second day of the Africa Energy Summit held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
To achieve this ambitious target, President Samia stated that an investment of approximately USD 13 billion will be required over the next five years, with USD 5 billion expected to come from the private sector.
While Tanzania has achieved nearly 100 percent electricity connectivity in its villages, household connectivity has remained below 50 percent until recently, with rural areas particularly lagging behind urban settings.
Through the newly inaugurated National Energy Compact, Tanzania has pledged to implement several key initiatives to ensure the goal is met by 2030. These efforts include increasing the country’s installed electricity capacity from the current 3,431 MW by diversifying energy sources.
“Our target is to add 2,463 megawatts of energy from solar, natural gas, wind, geothermal, and other sources by 2030,” President Samia said while hosting fellow African heads of state and energy stakeholders.
Tanzania has also pledged to expand electricity connectivity to all hamlets, after achieving nearly 100 percent connectivity in villages. The National Energy Compact is expected to complement ongoing government efforts to connect all hamlets.
“Our goal is to reach all 64,359 hamlets. So far, we have connected 32,827 hamlets, and work is ongoing in 20,000 hamlets,” President Samia explained. “Through this program, we will complete the remaining 11,532 hamlets.”
These electricity connectivity initiatives are being integrated with clean cooking energy programs, which President Samia has championed both domestically and internationally since taking office in 2021.
She added, “The National Energy Compact will help us reach our goal of increasing the use of clean cooking energy in Tanzania.”
Tanzania has set a national strategy for clean cooking energy, aiming to increase its use from the current 10 percent to 80 percent by 2034, President Samia noted.
Additionally, Tanzania is positioning itself as a key player in the African energy sector due to its strategic geographical location and initiatives to connect power grids with neighboring countries such as Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. Plans are also underway to connect with Zambia, furthering ambition to link the African continent’s power grid from South Africa to Egypt.
