Mozambique: €22 million investment expands renewable energy in rural areas

An investment of €22 million in renewable energy is transforming access to electricity and driving rural development in Mozambique. The amount was allocated to the Renewable Energy for Rural Development Project in Mozambique (REDR2+), a joint initiative between the Mozambican Government and the Kingdom of Belgium, which has benefited thousands of citizens in the provinces of Nampula, Zambézia, and Manica through rural electrification and the introduction of solar-powered irrigation systems. The project, whose latest Steering Committee meeting took place in Maputo, is approaching its formal closure scheduled for 15 March 2026, after nearly eight years of implementation since the agreement signed between the two countries in 2018.

Under the electrification component, the project enabled the construction of five photovoltaic mini-grids, distributed across two provinces. In Nampula province, two mini-grids were installed in Muite and Milhana, in the district of Mecubúri. In Zambézia province, three mini-grids were built in the localities of Mugulama, Ilha de Idugo, and Nagonha, located in the districts of Ile, Mucubela, and Pebane, respectively.

In total, these infrastructures allowed 3,667 electricity connections, benefiting 18,000 Mozambicans, many of whom gained access to electricity for the first time. Photo: Ministério dos Recursos Minerais e Energia – MIREME Beyond improving living conditions, the electrification also strengthened community safety through public lighting and facilitated the operation of public services in the covered areas. The project’s impact extended to the agricultural sector, with the installation of 508 solar-powered irrigation systems.

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Of these, 310 systems were installed in Manica province and 198 systems in Zambézia province, both in the central region. The infrastructures were designed to irrigate 426 hectares of farmland, of which 312 hectares are in Manica and 114 hectares in Zambézia.

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