AfDB allocates €62M for rural electrification in Côte-d’Ivoire

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has granted a loan of €62.35 million to Côte d’Ivoire, the bank said in a statement. The funds are intended to finance the Project for the Strengthening of Electrical System Works and Access to Electricity (Proser).

The AfDB grant will help finance the electrification of 1,388 rural localities in the West African nation’s 11 districts, including Comoé, Denguelé, Lakes, Lagoons, Mountains, Sassandra, Woroba, Savanes, Bandama Valley, Yamoussoukro and Zanzan to the electricity grid.

About 797,000 inhabitants will benefit from the electrification project. Part of the AfDB loan will be allocated to the Electricity for All Program (EFPT), launched in June 2019 in the Indénié-Djuablin region. The program, which will be completed in the course of this year, will enable about 114,000 households to benefit from electricity.

The phase 1 of Proser provides for the construction of 6,460 km of 33 kV power lines, the construction of 3,419 km of low-voltage lines and the installation of 1,394 rural distribution substations. Côte d’Ivoire is now relying on renewable energy to provide electricity to its population.

Since 2019, the country has an installed capacity of 2,200 MW, according to the government. The electricity is produced from highly polluting thermal power stations and hydroelectric installations.

The government wants to double the country’s electricity production by 2030 to adapt to the needs of its population. This production will be based on renewable energy systems, especially solar power.