The Mozambican government on Monday defended the acceleration of the "pace" of electrification in the country, with a view to achieving universal access to electricity by 2030.

The information was provided by the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Carlos Zacarias, who was speaking at the opening of the eighth coordinating council of the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy, which kicked off in the city of Lichinga, Niassa province.

"In the field of energy, we are faced with the challenge of increasing the rate at which new domestic consumers are connected, so that we can guarantee universal access by 2030," said the minister, quoted by Lusa, adding that the fulfillment of this purpose involves bringing energy from the public grid to all the country's administrative posts, with the aim of extending access to electricity to more families and productive units.

Data from the company Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM) show that 81 administrative posts have yet to be electrified out of the 130 that did not have electricity from the public grid by 2019, with the aim of massifying the Mozambican population's access to energy, which currently reaches 50% of Mozambican families.

"The electrification of all the administrative posts, which is scheduled for completion in 2024, represents a test of our ability to mobilize resources and implement projects" to generate electricity, emphasized Carlos Zacarias.

According to the government official, the country has the challenge of ensuring the completion of structuring energy generation and transportation projects by 2024.