Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania – President Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi on Monday witnessed the signing of a $300 million compact with the World Bank to expand electricity access across the country by 2030.
The agreement, signed at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre, is part of the Accelerating Sustainable and Clean Energy Access Transformation (ASCENT) initiative. President Chakwera described electricity as vital to unlocking opportunities in agriculture, mining, and tourism.
He recounted the damage caused by Cyclones Ana and Gombe, which crippled the Kapichira Power Plant and left many households in darkness. Chakwera credited the World Bank for helping restore the plant within a year.
Chakwera outlined his administration’s target to connect 75% of Malawians to electricity by 2030, noting progress from 12% to 25% in four years.
World Bank Managing Director Anna Bjerde commended Malawi’s efforts to improve energy access and expressed the bank’s commitment to increasing electricity availability across Africa.
