The World Bank says only 18% of Ugandans have access to electricity. It even gets worse as one moves to the villages as only 5% of people there have access to electricity.
However, this might change with a shift to solar energy to close the gap. Recently the Ministry of Energy Commissioner for Renewable Energy, John Tumuhimbise, launched the Village Power House in Kololo, Kampala.
Village Power, which works towards the sustainable improvement of the standard of living of people in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa, reiterated their commitment to improving the lives of Ugandans across the country by providing sustainable solar solutions.
Presently in Uganda, Zambia, Mozambique, Kenya, and Tanzania, Village Power provides access to off-grid sustainable energy solutions to people in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa.
Speaking at the event, the CEO of Village Power Thomas Huth, emphasized his company’s commitment to keep designing a range of products that would cater for the growing and varying needs of their customers.
“We believe that access to modern energy is a critical factor for development. In order to create substantial social, economic and environmental impact we are committed to build Village Power into a fast growing, for-profit social enterprise. Village Power’s activities include the sale, installation and after-sales service of high quality Solar Systems and Accessories,” Huth said.
“Over the last few years, we have installed over 10,000 solar systems and have impacted over 60,000 people, i.e., family members and dependents of our customers. 25% of these solar installations were made under the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), where we contributed a significant number over 20% overall, yet we were one of the last companies to join this programme,” he added.
In his remarks, Tumuhimbise noted that Village Power’s work in Uganda is in line with the ministry’s goals, vision, mission and larger mandate.
“One of the main goals of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development is to contribute effectively to poverty reduction in the country. Village Power’s work in Uganda has helped thousands of people live better lives- economically and socially. Most importantly, these have been done in a manner that is safe and environmentally sustainable,” Tumuhimbise added.
Tumuhimbise also conveyed the importance of strategic partnerships for the development of the country.
“…one of our roles as government is to attract investment. And the benefits of this can be seen from the fruits of Village Power’s work in Uganda. I applaud their continuous efforts to improve the socio-economic lives of the communities in which they operate and on behalf of the Government of Uganda, pledge our continued support to Village Power Uganda,” he said.
