The true power of sustainability

On the east coast of Africa lies Tanzania. And to the south of Tanzania can be found the isolated Ludewa District, which, once upon a time, was in great need of social and economic help.

Over 12,000 local inhabitants have benefitted from this life-changing project.

In 2008 the Group donated 16 km of MV electrical cables. In May 2011, it donated an additional 10 km of cables to connect new users to the grid.

Within the district, the small rural settlement of Madunda was struggling, with no access to affordable energy. Schools, medical facilities, public offices, small and medium enterprises have finally been supplied with electricity

Power to people

Over the past decade, Prysmian Group has donated technical support and materials to an initiative focusing on, among a whole host of other benefits, the building of a hydroelectric plant in the region.

And today, as a result, Madunda’s schools, medical facilities, public offices and local businesses now have vital access to the electricity they’ve long needed, improving the standard of living in the region and allowing it to escape from a subsistence economy.

An initiative to spark change

Since 2006, ACRA (Association for Rural Cooperation in Africa and Latin America), in partnership with numerous public, private and local organisations, has set about developing an integrated, sustainable programme centred on providing renewable energy to over nine villages in the Ludewa district.

And throughout the project, Prysmian Group has been working side-by-side with the organisation, providing cables for the power distribution network.

Plant for growth

Situated at the foot of the Livingstone Mountains on the Kisongo River, the off-grid hydroelectric plant is owned and managed by community-based village committees. It currently meets an output demand of up to 150 kW / hour. All funds raised from the electricity sold, are used to cover running and maintenance costs. Making it a truly financially sustainable solution.

Thanks to this new power supply, the region’s medical dispensaries now have electricity to store medicines in refrigerators, schools can open for evening classes to ensure everyone the right to education, mills can grind the corn and flour with electric motors instead of fuel, and shops can stay open into the evening.

And there’s more…

Thanks to the success of the hydroelectric plant, this multi-sector programme is delivering so much more than just energy. Specific training has been provided to technicians, who manage the power generation and transportation facilities, and to administrative staff, who manage the electricity company's accounts and finances. Several professional courses have been organised to help bolster the local small and medium enterprises, for example in carpentry and in the use of computers and the Internet.

The project also seeks to create a sustainable environment by supporting water-source protection and local reforestation through income-generating activities.

It’s a project that very much belongs to the community, and promotes true sustainability. Prysmian is proud to have played such an important part.