Maputo, 03 Nov (AIM) – Mozambique’s publicly-owned Energy Fund (FUNAE) plans to start, in 2027, an investment of about 50 million US dollars in construction of 100 solar mini-grids in the central provinces of Zambézia, Tete, and Northern Province of Niassa.
According to Mussa Mane, director of FUNAE’s Private Sector Engagement Division, speaking on Monday, in Maputo, on the sidelines of a retreat on governance and institutional alignment for mini-grids and decentralized energy, the investment is aimed at expanding access to electricity in areas not yet covered by the national grid.
The initiative is the result of a partnership between FUNAE and the Belgian Development Agency, Enabel. Together, they have mobilized resources from the Green Climate Fund (GCF), which will be made available to the private sector, the entity responsible for constructing and operating the infrastructure.
“The project will mark a new phase in the rural electrification strategy, shifting the focus from expanding energy access at the administrative post level to reaching individual localities. Solar mini-grids are decentralized infrastructures consisting of solar panels for energy generation, batteries for storage, and a distribution network that delivers electricity to people’s homes,” he explained.
For his part, FUNAE Chairman, Mety Gondola, called for greater efficiency in the bidding process to avoid delays in project execution and to ensure that energy reaches the communities within the established timeframes.
“We cannot spend one or two years managing the procurement process. The population is waiting, and the government is eager to provide this service,” he said.
The construction of mini-grids is also part of the efforts to achieve universal access to electricity by 2030, through the expansion of the conventional grid and decentralized electrification solutions.
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