By Sizwe Dlamini
His Majesty King Mswati III, represented by Deputy Prime Minister, Thulisile Dladla, joined other African leaders in pledging universal access to energy by 2030, starting with providing electricity to 50,000 households within the next five years.
The commitment was made at the Heads of State Energy Summit at the Dar es Salaam Energy Declaration in Tanzania. Participating in the Summit are African Heads of State, private sector leaders, development partners, civil society organizations, and other high-ranking dignitaries.
Speaking at the Summit, the Deputy Prime Minister noted that this commitment to provide electricity to about 50,000 new households will lead to 200, 000 people benefiting.
“Out of the 50,000 homes, as mentioned above, 15,000 are remote rural households and they will be connected using off-grid solar home systems. Additionally, 35,000 other households will be connected to the national grid. Households that are struggling to finance house wiring will be assisted through free installation of ready boards,” she added.
The aforementioned declaration aligns with the Mission 300 initiative to provide electricity to 300 million people in Africa by 2030, launched by the African Development Bank Group and the World Bank Africa in April 2024.
Dladla went on to report on the country’s progress on energy access and security while also making several commitments towards achieving universal energy access in Eswatini by 2030, aligning with the objectives of Mission 300.
“The Kingdom of Eswatini has made remarkable strides in improving energy access over the past two decades. Starting at a coverage rate of just 5% in 2002, the country has achieved significant growth, reaching 82% coverage in 2023 and 88% in 2024. Building on this momentum, the Mission 300 initiative offers an opportunity for Eswatini to accelerate its energy access efforts and achieve universal access by 2030,” she said.
Dladla concluded by stressing Eswatini’s pledge to continue working towards ensuring the security of the national electricity supply by 2027.
“Power projects in the pipeline such as the 75MW solar PV, 80MW Biomass, and hydropower expansion projects are still being explored and are nearing completion. The ongoing exploration of geothermal power production potential is also being investigated. Additionally, Eswatini has also pledged to strengthen the Gender Action Plan to build a strong gender equality system in the energy sector ensuring an inclusive approach,” she said.
In addition to advancing renewable energy solutions for Africa, Eswatini has also committed to increasing access to clean cooking solutions, boosting the kingdom’s share of renewable energy, and mobilizing private capital by 2030.