Korogwe solar project wins prestigious UNCDF Award

23Mar 2018
The Guardian Reporter
Business
The Guardian
Korogwe solar project wins prestigious UNCDF Award

A 50 kilowatts off grid solar project benefitting some 3,000 people at Mpale village of Korogwe district in Tanga Region has won a prestigious Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) Award courtesy of United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF).

This year’s ARE Awards winners pose with their trophies, second right is Mpale village representative who received the award in Sicily. Photo: courtesy of UNCDF/LFI.

In a statement, Global Manager of Local Finance Initiative of UNC DF, Peter Malika said the project which was implemented by ENSOL Tanzania Limited, will benefit over 10,000 people at its peak.

The ENSOL Mpale project won in the newest category of ARE Awards, which rewards the most effective initiative and/or project implemented in its category, Malika’s statement noted. “When we talk about offering last mile finance models that unlock public or private finance for the poor, this is what we mean,” Malika noted.

UNCDF supported the Mpale village project, in a locality that has seen minimal public or private investments, due partly to its remote location and challenging terrain thus showing the importance that development assistance applied where it is needed most, can achieve.

The Mpale project won because it contributes to the sustainable and inclusive development of Korogwe district but also serves as a demonstration platform with tremendous potential for replication and scale up to other villages in the region, and to other parts of the country.

In a statement, ARE Awards organisers said, “The decision has been taken as a result of analysis and evaluations of the Jury and because of ENSOL’s strong efforts to implement solar mini-grids providing energy access to rural populations.”

ARE represents the decentralized clean energy sector with members along the whole value chain. It was founded in 2006 to act as a solution provider in order to advance access to clean energy and energy services in developing and emerging countries. ARE is also a partner of Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL).

The ARE Awards recognize the energy access initiatives undertaken and results achieved by the most passionate and innovative stakeholders and to stimulate the exchange of knowledge. The Award was presented during the ARE Awards ceremony which was held at the 4th ARE Energy Access Investment Summit in Catania, Sicily on the evening of 13th March 2018.

Mpale village project won in the “Best Off-Grid Project” category after receiving technical support from ENSOL, a local company specializing in solar energy with funding under the local development finance practice area’s LFI.

The awarded project is about solar panel technology that generates and distributes electricity to individual households in the village. It generates, distributes, stores and regulates the flow of electricity in the village.

Top Stories