Minister of Energy Jean Mathanga says government is working to increase electricity generation as it expands access to more rural communities under its electrification programmes.

Mathanga says government recognises that connecting more households and communities to electricity will not be enough unless the country also generates sufficient power to meet the growing demand.

She says the government is therefore scaling up the Malawi Rural Electrification Programme (MAREP), with the country currently implementing MAREP 9 and preparing to move into MAREP 10.

“Of course, we know our generation is not adequate. So whilst we are connecting people, we’re making sure that we also generate more,” Mathanga says.

She says the Electricity Generation Company (EGENCO) is undertaking several projects, including hydro and solar power initiatives, as government seeks to increase the amount of electricity available for distribution to consumers.

Mathanga also says government is encouraging private investors to enter the energy sector and invest in solar and other forms of power generation to complement public-sector efforts.

She says rural communities are being targeted through MAREP, while the World Bank-funded ASCENT project is providing another avenue for expanding access to electricity.

Under ASCENT, Mathanga says government is targeting learning and health facilities located within a 500-metre radius of existing ESCOM infrastructure, before extending the programme to training centres, domestic consumers and rooftop solar customers.

Mathanga says the combination of increased connections and new generation projects is aimed at ensuring that more rural Malawians gain access to reliable electricity without putting additional pressure on the country’s already inadequate generation capacity.