Scottish Government spread community energy abroad with investment in Malawi power plans
THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT will support the construction of 43 community energy installations across 12 districts in Malawi by April next year.
The funding will go to support the Community Energy Malawi (CEM) programme, meaning rural communities will have access to electricity in residential areas, rural areas, schools and clinics.
CEM will partner with the University of Strathclyde to provide training for communities to operate and maintain the solar arrays.
“We know this can transform some of the poorest areas by ensuring equipped hospitals, functioning schools and thriving communities.” Alasdair Allan MSP
Alasdair Allan MSP, Scottish Government secretary for international development described Malawi’s energy access situation as “dire in global terms with only 9 per cent of the population currently having access to grid electricity”.
However, he added: “Between 2012 and 2015, we provided £2.3 million funding to the Malawi renewable energy access programme, which brought new energy access to nearly 80,000 rural Malawians through a range of technologies from solar powered schemes to fuel efficient cookstoves.
“The funding for CEM will allow them to continue their work of supporting community-level energy access. We know this can transform some of the poorest areas by ensuring equipped hospitals, functioning schools and thriving communities.
“This funding will make a big difference to Malawian communities, helping children to study in the evenings, ensuring the safe delivery of babies at night and providing a source of energy for communities to earn an income.”
The news follows this year’s Scottish Malawi Partnership report which showed that there are over 1,000 schools, churches, charities, businesses, individuals, universities and community groups in Scotland with connections to Malawi.
Picture courtesy of UN Women
Check out what people are saying about how important CommonSpace is. Pledge your support today.
