Reliable electricity supply in rural Zanzibar is helping young people start small businesses and remain in their communities, reducing migration to urban centres, the Coast Regional Commissioner said.
Mr Abubakar Kunenge made the remarks during a recent meeting in the Coast Region with officials of Tanzania’s Rural Energy Authority (REA), who were in the area to brief him on ongoing development projects.
The REA team announced the launch of the second phase of the Rural Electrification Project, valued at 46.6 billion Tanzanian shillings, aimed at improving power access across the region.
REA Deputy Director Engineer Thomas Mmbaga said the project will connect 330 sub-streets to the national electricity grid over a three-year implementation period.
He added that the works will be carried out by Nakuro Investment Company, with a focus on extending power to underserved rural settlements.
Kunenge said reliable electricity is enabling rural youth to engage in productive economic activities such as agro-processing, small manufacturing and services.
He noted that improved infrastructure is helping to slow the movement of young people from villages to already congested cities in search of jobs.
In a related development, Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASA) Kibaha District Manager, Engineer Debora Kanyika, said access to safe water in the district had reached 86.5% by December 2025.
She told a recent council meeting that water projects in villages including Miyombo Ufugaji, Kipangege, Kigoda and Ngwale are at advanced stages, with some already in operation.
Kanyika added that new water projects will be rolled out in the 2025/2026 financial year in Magindu, Dutumi, Madege, Kigogo and Ngwale, alongside efforts to complete ongoing schemes.