World Bank has just approved a $375 million loan from the International Development Association (IDA) to support Ethiopia’s national electrification program.

 “Through this program, we hope to facilitate the provision of electricity services to all Ethiopians nationwide by 2025.  This means that children will be able to study at night, health facilities will be able to provide life-saving services and businesses will be able to operate optimally,” said Carolyn Turk, World Bank country director for Ethiopia.

Over the next five years, $1.5 billion will be used for the project and it will help connect about one million households.

Specifically, the project will be in for phases, namely, the extension of the national grid, the provision of off-grid power services, the elaboration of institutional reforms and the improvement of power suppliers’ capacity.

For the record, according to World Bank, the country’s electrification rate is currently 30%. 

Gwladys Johnson Akinocho