AfDB and EU to Provide €12 mn for Electrification of Rural Areas in Togo

AfDB, EU and the Togolese government have signed an agreement for 12 million euros to support the CIZO rural electrification program from Togo (PRAVOST).

The African Development Bank (AfDB), the European Union (EU) and the Togolese government have signed an agreement of some 12 million euros as part of the project to support the social component of the CIZO rural electrification program from Togo (PRAVOST).

The agreement was initialed in the Togolese capital by the Minister of Economy and Finance, Sani Yaya, and the director-general of the African Development Bank for West Africa, Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade, in the presence of Marc Ably-Bidamon, Minister of Mines and Energy, and Bruno Hanses, the representative of the European Union delegation.

The PRAVOST project includes a social component that includes the electrification of 314 health centers and the equipment of 122 health centers with solar water heaters, 400 drinking water supplies and the deployment of 600 solar irrigation pumps. It also aims to provide electricity to some 2,000 homes through solar mini-grids, but also to set up a “PayGo” platform for the integration of payments and data collection, and to coordinate, manage and monitor and evaluate the project.

“We are happy to cooperate with the Republic of Togo, our brother country, and all the other partners, on this historic project which materialises the will of the authorities to continue their efforts to build national policies,” said Marie-Laure Akin- Olugbade, welcoming the efforts of the Togolese government to improve the living conditions of its population.

The AfDB and EU are thus helping to provide electricity at low cost to isolated villages using off-grid solar solutions. This joint support also aims to improve the rate of access to clean energy from community infrastructures in off-grid rural areas and the resilience of farmers by deploying solar irrigation pumps. Small farms in some 500 municipalities in rural areas will benefit from community infrastructure.

This financing is in line with the Bank’s five strategic priorities, “High 5”. It meets the objectives of the National Development Plan (PND) in terms of access to the poorest populations to sustainable energy services. The project also corresponds to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG7), which consists of ensuring access for all to reliable, sustainable and modern energy services at an affordable cost.