The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), through the Global Fund, has installed solar units at 1 044 health facilities, achieving a cumulative capacity of 11 megawatts.

The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) plans to invest US$62 million in a home solar systems project aimed at rural households as part of the Government’s efforts to ensure universal access to electricity by 2030.

In a landmark moment for rural development, a 200-kW solar mini-grid and green village model was commissioned in Hakwata village. The project, currently at 20% utilisation, powers 85 homes, 18 businesses, a school, a clinic, and 3 community boreholes, with ample capacity for future growth.

President Mnangagwa’s recent ban on the export of raw lithium ore mandates that all lithium mining companies in Zimbabwe beneficiate the mineral domestically, setting the stage for local battery production.

At off-grid Hakwata Clinic in Zimbabwe’s Manicaland Province, women gave birth by candle-light and gas-powered fridges strained to keep vaccines cool. That all changed when a solar mini-grid was installed.

About 1,8 million rural households are set to get electricity under the national solar home system programme to be implemented by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA). The initiative is aimed at bringing clean energy to remote communities across the country.

The solar-powered system has 416 solar panels and three inverters. Nearly 80 houses have been connected and there are street lights along the road that leads to the business centre. More than 12,000 people who are benefiting from this solar mini-grid consume 108kW of power. There is an excess of 92kW.

In the context of climate change, women, gender equality, and energy are vital issues that intersect and impact each other in various ways. In Zimbabwe, women predominantly carry out the daily task of gathering traditional fuels like firewood.