Azana Electric and the African Development Bank are donating $600,000 to Weza Power to support the electrification of Burundi through an innovative public-private partnership.

The donation is part of the regional technical assistance program recently approved by SEFA decision-making bodies in favor of PPPs and relating to the transmission and distribution of electricity. The program is designed to allow the private sector to participate in the development and financing of transmission line and network extension projects, in order to increase the integration of renewable energies. For Burundi, it will accelerate Weza Power's development activities and finance key environmental and social workstreams as the company prepares to become fully operational

“Weza Power represents a bold new model to accelerate access to electricity for all Burundians, said the Burundian Minister of Hydraulics, Energy and Mines, Ibrahim Uwizeye. We are proud to partner with the private sector to provide innovative solutions to our energy challenges and extend access to electricity to millions of our citizens.

Weza Power is the first national electricity distribution company of this type to operate in Burundi. Owned and operated by Anzana Electricity, with support from British International Investment and Gridworks, Weza Power has been the first privately owned national electricity distribution company in sub-Saharan Africa in over a

With this new commitment, the African Development Bank becomes the most recent “M300" partner to provide direct support to Weza Power, joining the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World Bank. The African Development Bank is actively exploring other ways to ensure the long-term success of this innovative PPP model through its public and private sector financing windows

“Our aim is to enable every Burundian to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by electricity. This support from the African Development Bank and SEFA will contribute to accelerating the development of the project and achieving Burundi's energy ambitions,” said Brian Kelly, CEO of Anzana Electric Group, the parent company of Weza Power. “This donation represents another major advance for our team and the many communities across Burundi who will benefit from reliable and affordable electricity,” he added.

“This support for Weza Power is part of our commitment to deploying innovative business models at scale that can help us achieve universal access,” said Daniel Schroth, Director of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency at the African Development Bank. development. “As the leader of 'Mission 300', we are proud to support Burundi's 'Mission 300' pact and to catalyze private capital through ambitious public-private partnerships like Weza,” he emphasized.

This announcement comes after Burundi unveiled its National Energy Pact during the Private Sector Consultation on “Mission 300", organized by the World Bank Group and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA).