The Member of Parliament for Wa West Constituency, Peter Lanchene Toobu, has disclosed that 55 additional communities in the constituency are expected to benefit from an extension of the national electricity grid.
According to him, the move forms part of efforts to address the electricity access gap in the Wa West District, which remains one of the major development challenges facing residents.
Aside from the 55 additional communities expected to benefit from the national grid extension, four other communities whose projects were awarded in 2016 will be completed first within the next few months.
Toobu explained that despite progress made in other sectors, including roads, potable water supply, and educational infrastructure, electricity connectivity continues to be a major concern.
He said that while the national electricity access rate currently stands at about 89.5 per cent, Wa West has an estimated electricity coverage of only 26 per cent.
Speaking to Citi News, he said, “One of the critical problems of this constituency is the connection to the national grid. The national average is around 89.5 per cent, but sadly, Wa West has an average of about 26 per cent. We are miles away from the national average. 55 communities are expected to benefit from the extension of the national electricity grid.”
The MP further revealed that the Grungu, Meteu, Kagu and Varimpere electrification projects, which commenced in 2016, have remained stalled for about ten years due to changes in government.
The Assembly Member for Gurungu Electoral Area, Manan Zumuro Beyuo, noted that students in the community compete with their counterparts in urban areas where access to social amenities is better, making the lack of electricity a major challenge to academic progress.
“Without the light, it is very difficult for us. It affects students, it affects academic learning, and it also affects social and economic activities,” he stated.
He added that the lack of electricity has also affected mobile network connectivity in the area, leaving residents disconnected from the rest of the world.
“We have the hope that if we can get electricity, it will have an effect on us getting a network within the area,” he said.
