World Bank funds Ethiopian power grid
ETHIOPIA - A $180 million credit for Ethiopia will help the country increase the amount of electricity available to rural communities, the World Bank said.
The World Bank said it awarded the additional financing to help the Ethiopian government expand electricity coverage for its citizens.
The bank said that despite development in the African nation, more than 80 percent of the population is living without modern electricity.
"It is the objective of the World Bank and the government of Ethiopia to radically change this situation," the bank said in a statement.
The $180 million credit supports upgrades in several major Ethiopian cities, including the capital Addis Ababa. Rural projects would expand the electricity coverage in about 50 villages, increasing the total coverage area for around 700,000 people.
Raihan Elahi, a task manager at the World Bank, said work in Ethiopia has "has expanded electricity access to a large number of rural and small town dwellers on a sustainable basis, and supported income-generating activities made possible by the new power supply."
The bank added that the lack of electricity in Ethiopia is dragging on economic growth.
Related News
Kenya on Course for $5 Billion Nuclear Plant to Power Industry
KENYA - Kenya’s nuclear agency submitted impact studies for a $5 billion power plant, and said it’s on course to build and start operating the facility in about seven years.
The government plans to expand its nuclear-power capacity fourfold by 2035, the Nuclear Power and Energy Agency said in a report on the National Environment Management Authority’s website. The document is set for public scrutiny before the environmental watchdog can approve it, and pave the way for the project to continue.
President Uhuru Kenyatta wants to ramp up installed generation capacity from 2,712 megawatts as of April to boost manufacturing in East…
