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Dr Undenge

Collen Murahwa Herald Reporter
Government has stepped up efforts to empower rural communities through rural electrification to create employment and decelerate rural to urban migration, a senior Government official has said.

This came out at the commissioning of electrification projects at Mugari, Dindi and Jamari schools and Dindi Clinic in Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe district on Thursday.

In a speech read on his behalf by the Deputy Minister of Energy and Power Development Tsitsi Muzenda at the function, Energy and Power Development Minister Dr Samuel Undenge said rural electrification had multi-faceted benefits which complemented Zim-Asset.

“Provision of electricity in the area will no doubt lead to the empowerment of our rural communities, poverty alleviation, capacity building and employment creation in line with the Zim-Asset economic blueprint, which was crafted to achieve sustainable development and social equality in Zimbabwe,” he said.

“Many other benefits will accrue, among them the reversal of rural-urban migration and economic activities in downstream industries.”

Minister Undenge said most teachers used to shun rural schools, but the rural electrification programme would be a solution to the problem and service delivery would improve at local clinics.

“Many schools are now electrified and connected to internet services and teachers who used to shun working in rural areas before their schools were electrified are now happier to work in rural areas,” he said.

“Similarly, in rural health centres, electricity has brought positive changes as the child mortality rate has been reduced and expecting mothers who were asked to bring candles and paraffin lamps to clinics are now giving birth in well-lit and conducive environments.”

Minister Undenge said the electrification of rural schools would help in the equality of education between children in towns and those in the rural areas, as they would now benefit from the STEM initiative.

“This programme is important as students in rural areas can now be able to do science subjects and we are aware that the STEM programme starts from primary level and it would be easy to identify those students who are good in science subjects,” he said.

Minister of State for Mashonaland East Retired Brigadier General Ambrose Mutinhiri said the event was life changing, as the Pfungwe area had been marginalised in terms of development.

“For us, this event is life changing; so important to us as this is one area that has been lagging behind for a long time in terms of development,” he said.

Nearly 9 000 rural institutions have been electrified nationwide.