After all, how many "P's" do you use to light up the country? That is the question, which literally has its answer not in the implementation of the various existing projects for the expansion of the electricity grid, but in the way they are carried out: ethics and transparency.

Ten years ago, Mozambique undertook the preliminarily winding challenge of making all the districts fully electrified. It was a challenge, because it was already foreseen that it would not be an easy task, but it was a commitment that could be achieved, despite so many obstacles, combined with a lack of funds, but also the age-old problem of vandalizing electrical infrastructure.

Even so, the project progressed and other problems arose. Clandestine connections, all over the country, have forced the need to establish clear principles and mechanisms (ethics and transparency) to monitor the implementation of electricity expansion projects, with a view to achieving the goal of universal access to energy by 2030.

According to the National Electrification Strategy (ENE), approved by Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM) in 2018, more than 4,852,000 customers should be provided with electricity by 2030, an average of around 373,000 new consumers a year. If this commitment is realized, the target could cost EDM around 5.7 billion dollars.

In the meantime, although the project is winding down, it is gaining momentum. Data provided by the state electricity supply company indicates that last year alone, 395,732 new consumers benefited from energy for the first time in their lives, as part of the implementation of the National Electricity Network Expansion Projects (REN).

For EDM's Director of Electrification and Projects, Cláudio Dambe, this figure totals more than 1,324,000 new connections made since 2020 in the country, translating into an improvement in the quality of energy supply and more access to energy for Mozambican families.

The achievement of these results, according to the head of EDM, has been thanks to the implementation of ethical principles and transparency in all projects, stressing that "at EDM we have a code of ethics, which all employees are signatories to, so within the scope of the projects it is required that the contractors and consultants involved are also guided by the same code of ethics".

This was a task that Mozambique's state-owned electricity company had to start focusing on with a certain primacy, in order to see its projects have an impact not only on the company itself but also on society in general.

The source explained that the implementation of ethics and transparency in electricity expansion projects presupposes greater confidence on the part of the general population and the implementation of projects within the planned period. For this reason, the manager recalled that failure to comply with these mechanisms has led to several stoppages and demonstrations in the past.

"The implementation of electricity expansion projects has followed a transparent process, from the selection of service providers to execution. The field survey is based on pre-established technical and financial assumptions and is carried out by the Customer Services Areas or Regions, with the involvement of the System Planning and Engineering Department, which in turn passes this data on to the Electrification and Projects Department (Project Implementation Unit)," he explained.

However, the need to have the electricity grid available as quickly as possible, even if the area is covered by the project or not, has posed challenges to these two guiding pillars of EDM's projects, and the company assumes that there are connections that do not comply with ethical and transparency criteria.

"It happens that, since this is a dynamic and phased process, some people entice the technicians of the companies they contract to carry out clandestine networks. But the control of these evils is at the level of the competent areas, which when they become aware of the fact apply the appropriate sanctions, which can culminate in the expulsion of the technician involved and the removal of the clandestine network, because it can compromise the quality of the energy supply," said the director of Electrification and Projects.

A new page opens for customers

If it used to take citizens more than a month to sign a contract for an electricity connection, which led to countless scams and corruption, today a new page has been opened.

According to some interviewees, the process has now become faster and more transparent, although there is still room for improvement.

Celso Salomão, who lives in the Intaka 2 neighborhood, on the outskirts of the city of Matola, says that it took him no more than three weeks to get the electricity connected to his home. "The process was quick and thank God I didn't have to pay any bribes. It was transparent, I just submitted the required documentation and soon after they came to make the connection", he praises.

Sharing the same satisfaction, Amina Nhambanga, who lives in the CMC neighborhood, also says that there has been an improvement in the transparency of the electrification projects carried out by EDM, highlighting the company's efforts to make the process faster and more transparent. "People have chosen to follow the legal procedures for connecting to the electricity grid."

Projects that enlighten Mozambicans

The implementation of ethics and transparency mechanisms, according to EDM, has enabled a total of nine projects to be carried out in the last four years, with a total investment of 832.3 million dollars.

According to Cláudio Dambe, of the nine projects, seven have already been completed, with two still in progress.

"We still have the Power Quality Improvement Project (PERIP) and the Electrification of Administrative Posts project underway, valued at 59 and 49.9 million dollars respectively," said Dambe, stressing that these projects have enabled the electrification of all the country's district headquarters to be completed.

Once this phase was over, another began, since the mission is to leave no one without access to the electricity grid. For now, the focus has turned to the headquarters of the Administrative Posts.

"The project to electrify the country's administrative offices is currently underway, and the electrification of 67 of the 135 identified through studies carried out in 2020 has been completed," emphasized the head of Electrification and Projects at EDM.

After this project, the third phase of the Energy for All Program will follow. For this one in particular, EDM has guaranteed that it is carrying out the survey for its implementation as early as 2025.

"The tenders will be launched in 2025, during the first semester. This will guarantee the continuity of the services of the new connections, and certainly universal access in 2030," he assured.

The source emphasized that for this process to be successful, everything involves ensuring better communication with the community so that they know how to wait their turn and don't get involved in demonstrations or sabotage or theft of electrical equipment.

Text: Hermenegildo Langa

Photo: DR