Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world. Energy is the tool to develop economic, environmental and social sustainability. Could you describe the current situation there, especially as regards energy access and the main obstacles to be overcome?
In Africa about 600 million people do not have access to energy. Mozambique is one of the countries where the percentage of people having access to electricity is very low and the state goal to reach 100% of people by 2030 is still far from being reached. We are currently at 40% in cities and 4% in rural areas.
The Ministry of Energy has planned an acceleration in the process of extending the national electric grid; however, access to energy will be granted also through off-grid systems. This category includes: home solar systems, made of panels and batteries installed on roofs, which power lights and outlets for small household appliances; mini grids that can provide electricity to a whole village and other systems that can power businesses.
The national grid won’t be likely to cover the whole state by 2030. That is why this project – financed with Soka Gakkai’s 8×1000 funds and focusing on these off-grid technologies – is very important.
The greatest obstacles to energy access include the lack of capital and the need for costly infrastructures, materials and machinery; the national grid isn’t being extended due to lack of money and because Mozambique is a very large country.
The market now offers off-grid technologies but they are too expensive for families, whose priority is paying for food, education and healthcare. They aren’t likely to choose to buy such systems.
Draft laws are under discussion allowing the private sector and companies to invest in the energy sector and sell electricity. These are expected to help reach the goal of full electrification more quickly.
Mozambique is the African state with the lowest amount of investments in renewable energies. What does the project called “Access to sources of solar energy in Mpaca-Cabo Delgado, Mozambique” do?
Thanks to the project – funded by the Istituto Buddista Soka Gakkai – a number of integrated activities have been carried out to provide electricity to a very isolated area, which unfortunately has also been targeted by terrorist attacks recently. It is the area of Mpaca-Cabo Delgado, a fairly large village with a lot of farms.
AVSI had already built a mini-grid bringing electricity to most of the village, but several families were still excluded. With this project, 185 families have received home solar systems which provide electricity all day long and enable them to use small household appliances and lights during the night… which was not possible before. We have established a dialogue and exchanges with the families receiving these tools because it is important for beneficiaries to be motivated to install and use them.
The project has also supported the establishment of fifteen enterprises, selected among sixty proposals based on the motivation and abilities of the owners and the usefulness of their enterprise for the whole community.
A third component of the project has worked to improve the safety and performance of the existing grid, adding a lightning rod for the whole grid. Public night lights have also been installed, which increased the safety of the area.
In the future it will be possible to integrate the national grid with all these systems without generation losses.
The project focuses on entrepreneurship training, enterprise management, access to microfinance, forms of savings and microcredit in order to support local women and young people in setting up their small enterprises. Could you share some experiences?
Bringing electricity to a village doesn’t automatically create an impact. The lack of training or machines and appliances is an obstacle.
In Mozambique microfinance and community saving mechanisms are lacking. For this reason, the project helps setting up savings groups through a well-established methodology that has been used since 1992.
Within this system, a group of people puts their savings inside a box that will be opened only after 9-12 months.
During this time, members can borrow sums to set up a business, pay for school fees or emergencies. These sums have to be paid back with an interest agreed upon by the group. So at the end of the set period, the box will have more money, which will be redistributed among all participants.
We tend to encourage people to use that money to start activities that can then create a sustainable source of income. To date, about 300 savers have been involved with their families. We also provide training to the people who will in turn create other savings groups.
For instance, Laura received this kind of training to start a savings group; besides having a higher income, she now has recognition from her community for the skills she has developed. For poor and marginalized people, having a role in their community is very important.
To make another example, Armando was among the beneficiaries of entrepreneurship training. He already had a small shop selling food and essential items: soap, flour, etc. He now has a refrigerator that allows him to sell drinks and store local produce. He also bought a TV to organize cinema nights, karaoke and entertainment. This is a service he offers to the community.
Soka Gakkai International President Daisaku Ikeda refers to Africa as the continent of the 21st century and highlights the need to make sure it can manifest all of its potential and heal the wounds that have been inflicted on it by more developed countries for centuries. What does it mean for you to stand by the people and support their empowerment?
We are perfectly in line with this vision: Africa has enormous potential. Unfortunately, TV and news portray exactly the opposite, especially in Italy: a continent full of desperation, poverty and adversities.
There are many young people and new energy. In terms of entrepreneurship, we are seeing a lot of start-ups and young people who are setting up new businesses. We can only dream of entrepreneurship rates this high in Italy.
Some investment funds are getting more and more interested in Africa and often finance innovative initiatives designed at a local level: this proves that the solutions for the continent’s development can be found in the continent itself, not only in the technological transfer from the West.
This is something we will never tire of saying: solutions must be designed for a continent that is different from ours, where development will not necessarily follow the path of our development; where means, knowledge and technologies are already available to create products and services suitable for the local people.
This is happening. We are seeing a lot of energy, a great development potential. Many things are already happening, it’s only a matter of choosing to see them.