DAR ES SALAAM, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania on Saturday launched a solar electrification project targeting 120 islands across eight regions bordering major lakes and the Indian Ocean.
The initiative aims to install 20,000 solar home systems at a total cost of 8 billion Tanzanian shillings (about 3.2 million U.S. dollars).
The project, implemented by the Rural Energy Agency (REA), was officially inaugurated by Deputy Minister for Energy Salome Makamba on Bezi Island in Lake Victoria, located in the Ilemela district of Mwanza region.
Other regions set to benefit from the program include Geita, Kagera, and Mara along Lake Victoria; Rukwa along Lake Rukwa; and Lindi, Mtwara, and Coast along the Indian Ocean.
Makamba said the government would provide subsidies covering up to 75 percent of connection costs to ensure affordable electricity access in remote areas.
She added that the project would directly support Tanzania's blue economy agenda by enabling fishermen to add value to fish products before marketing, while also boosting aquaculture, seaweed farming, and beach tourism.
REA Acting Director General Jones Olotu said the project would be implemented over a two-year period. ■