A NEWLY formulated design known as the national energy compact is expected to be endorsed at the upcoming African energy summit, intended to enhance electricity access countrywide.

Dr Doto Biteko, the deputy prime minister and Energy minister, made the remarks in Dar es Salaam yesterday, shortly after inspecting preparation activities for the highly anticipated conference bringing together heads of government from across the continent and over 1500 stakeholders.

Explaining the compact as part of efforts to drive Africa’s energy transformation, he said that by 2030, the number of households connected to electricity is projected to reach 13.5m, up from the current 5.2m.

The Mission 300 initiative, an aspect of the national energy compact, is designed to enable each country to enhance renewable energy access, reliability and affordability across the continent, he said.

Without the Mission 300 initiative, spearheaded by the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB), Tanzania’s efforts to connect households to electricity could have remained limited to current levels for a while, he stated.

 “We are fully prepared to ensure that the plans and strategies to be discussed during the summit are effectively implemented to meet these goals,” he asserted.

Tanzania’s selection as the host of the summit is due to its strong economic diplomacy championed by President Samia Suluhu Hassan, along with significant achievements in the energy sector, he said, pointing at over 12,000 villages and half of their component areas having been connected to the power grid.

This makes the country a leader in energy access and attracting international attention, where global institutions, companies and investors now view Tanzania as an attractive destination for business and investment, he declared.

Out of the 64,000 hamlets comprising the 12,000 villages, upwards of 36,000 hamlets are connected to the power grid, with work being pursued to connect the rest, he said.

Mission 300 initiative is not just about expanding electricity access but also creates significant opportunities like funding for various projects, enhanced investment prospects, and the opportunity to learn from successful energy projects elsewhere, he said.

Preparations for the energy summits are almost complete, with 95 percent of the necessary work already done, he said, noting that the

January 27-28 event will provide a platform for ground-breaking agreements.

The key aspect is expanding energy access to 300m people across Africa by 2030, a critical step toward addressing the continent's electricity gap, with 685m people currently lacking access, the senior minister intoned.

Albert Chalamila, the city regional commissioner, assured the deputy premier that the preparations committee is at work to ensure that the city is ready to host the summit.

Efforts include cleaning and renovating key infrastructure, such as the airport, roads and the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre (JNICC), he said.

Accommodations for the guests, including heads of delegation and representatives from global institutions, were being coordinated with respective stakeholders.

Installation of additional streetlights and summit-related signage was progressing well, along with placing ready healthcare units and security systems in anticipation of urgent needs during the summit, he added.