Tanzanian MPs irked by slow pace of rural electrification program

DAR ES SALAAM, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian Members of Parliament on Wednesday expressed concern over the slow pace of rural electrification program undertaken by state-owned Rural Electrification Agency (REA), urging the government to act swiftly and rescue the situation.

Speaking in the National Assembly in the capital Dodoma, the MPs observed that REA was not doing enough to connect the rural population with electricity.

"There are serious problems in REA," said Andrew Chenge, the chairman of the National Assembly.

The MPs decried the slow pace of REA after Omary Mgumba, an MP for Morogoro South constituency, had wanted to know the government's plan to connect villages that were not connected to power in the first and second phases of REA.

In his response, the Deputy Minister for Energy, Subira Mgalu, told the House that villages that were not connected in the previous phases will be included in the latest phase that has begun in Mbeya, Songwe, Njombe, Iringa, Coast, Tanga, Arusha and Mara regions.

"There were several challenges in the first and second phases of REA projects but the government has heavily invested in the program to ensure the target of supplying electricity to rural areas is achieved," she said.

Mgalu said 1,541 villages will be added into the electrification program and a total of 5,100 villages will be covered in the third phase.

The Speaker of the National Assembly, Job Ndugai, urged the government to intervene and help speed up rural electrification process done by REA.

He said the agency mandated to electrify villages in the country was working at a very slow pace, causing criticisms from villagers.

REA planned to electrify a total of 7,500 villages by 2021. Enditem