Namibia has received a grant of U.S. $485,000 from the African Development Bank (AfDB), to fund a solar electricity project meant to empower 50,000 households in the capital city, Windhoek.

Development Diaries reports that the bank’s Urban and Municipal Development Fund (UMDF) gave the approval to enhance the country’s electrification drive.

The bank, in a statement, noted that the ‘Informal Settlement Renewable Electrification and Upgrading Programme’ will directly benefit around 200,000 people in Windhoek, where around 20 percent of the population does not have electricity.

SDG Seven: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

According to the AfDB, the Municipal Council of Windhoek requested the funding support to upgrade services in its informal neighborhoods, a key priority under the metropolis’ strategic plan.

It noted that installing electricity in informal settlements is considered a crucial investment to unlock the economic potential of these areas and substantially improve the living condition of the inhabitants.

The project is expected to take off this year, with the impact to include the availability of electricity services that support the development of household activities and small and medium size companies.

Solar energy will also contribute to mitigating GHG emissions of firewood and kerosene, reducing deforestation, and improving air quality, the statement noted.

The Director of the Infrastructure and Urban Development Department, Mike Salawou, said, ‘The project is strongly aligned with the African Development Bank’s top five priorities, in particular, to light up and power Africa, improve the quality of life for the people and industrialise the continent’.

The World Bank collection of development indicators for 2020 revealed that access to electricity in Namibia was 56.3 percent.

Photo source: AfDB