Dar es Salaam. As Tanzania prepares to host the M300 African Energy Summit, the nation has achieved a historic milestone in rural electrification, connecting 78.4 per cent of its population to electricity.
According to the 2022 Population and Housing Census conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Tanzania’s population is estimated at 60 million.
The director of Rural Electrification at the Rural Energy Agency (REA) Jones Olotu, said on Friday, January 24 that all 12,318 villages across Tanzania—representing 100 per cent coverage—now have access to electricity.
“In hamlets, electricity penetration stands at 52.3 per cent. It is projected that by 2030, 13.5 million more Tanzanians will gain access to electricity,” Mr Olotu said.
Mr Olotu further noted that Mainland Tanzania comprises 64,359 hamlets, of which 33,657—or 52.3 per cent—are already electrified.
The remaining 30,702 sub-villages are earmarked for electrification under ongoing government initiatives.
The M300 African Energy Summit, set to take place in Dar es Salaam, will convene leaders from 54 African nations, along with finance and energy ministers from across the continent.
The summit aims to address key energy issues, including the promotion of clean energy solutions.
Eng Olotu noted that the decision to host the summit in Tanzania underscores President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s leadership in advancing clean cooking initiatives globally and her transformative efforts in the country’s energy sector.
The summit will coincide with an energy exhibition scheduled for 27–28 January 2025 at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre (JNICC) in Dar es Salaam.
