The Rural Electrification Authority has appealed to councils across the country to consider allocating more funds towards rural electrification beyond K1 million.
REA Chief Executive Officer Linus Chanda says doing so will encourage the authority to prioritize the electrification of council projects.
Speaking during the signing of 65 memoranda of understanding with local authorities from all the 10 provinces in Lusaka today, Engineer Chanda says REA wants to expand access to electricity in rural areas.
He says the 65 MOU’s signed brings the cumulative number to 152 against a target of 156.
Engineer Chanda said the MoUs being signed are a testament of REA’s unwavering commitment to transforming the lives of zambians residing in the remotest parts of our country and have no access to electricity.
He said the partnerships are as a result of a directive from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development for Local Authorities to allocate K1 million from the Constituency Development Fund towards rural electrification projects to accelerate development in the constituencies.
And Local Government and Rural Development Minister Gary Nkombo says the electrification of rural areas will trigger development and prevent civil servants from shunning such places.
“Today’s signing of the mous signifies a significant step forward in our mission to bring sustainable electrification to these sixty-five constituencies. It symbolizes government’s commitment to addressing the challenges faced by our rural areas and creating an environment that fosters growth, development, and prosperity for all” Hon Nkombo said.