Multilateral development finance institution, the African Development Bank (AfDB), has approved a €14M million grant towards the RIMDIR Mini-Grid Electrification Project in Mauritania – a French Development Agency and World Bank joint program aimed at advancing rural electrification.
The grant will be used by the AfDB’s Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa to facilitate the electrification of 40 local communities through the establishment of seven mini-grids in the southeast region of Mauritania.
“The project supports our policy of universal access to electricity by 2030 and an energy transition to promote economic growth, particularly in rural areas, in line with the Priority Program of the President of the Republic, Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani,” stated Mauritania’s Minister of Petroleum, Mines and Energy, Nani Ould Chrougha.
Overseen by Mauritania’s electric utility company, the Société Mauritanienne d’Électricité, the project is poised to cut electricity production costs in the country while mitigating CO2 emissions and enhancing rural electrification.
“The project is set to benefit close to 30,000 people living in 40 localities while supporting income-generating activities,” stated Malinne Blomberg, AfDB Deputy Director General for the North African Region and Country Manager for Mauritania, adding, “It is our hope that the project will provide a solid evidence base for private-sector-led Public Private Partnerships in the electrification of rural areas not only in Mauritania but also in the Sahel region in general.”
The grant falls part of the Desert to Power Initiative, a flagship initiative supported by the AfDB’s Sustainable Energy Fund and aims to install up to 10 GW of capacity by 2030 in the Sahel region of northern Africa.