THE Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has electrified 175 rural institutions across Zimbabwe in the first quarter of 2026, as the government continues efforts to expand access to electricity in disadvantaged communities.
According to the latest REA statistics, the completed projects include primary and secondary schools, rural health centres, business centres, chiefs’ homesteads, government extension offices, farms and villages.
Mashonaland West province recorded the highest number of completed projects, with 33 institutions electrified, followed by Mashonaland East with 25 and Matabeleland South with 23.
The figures show that 63 primary schools, 43 secondary schools, 19 rural health centres, 21 business centres and 16 other community institutions were connected to electricity during the period under review.
The latest national statistics also show significant progress in the electrification of rural public institutions across the country.
Primary schools account for the largest share of electrified institutions, with 4 234 of the country’s 5 968 rural primary schools connected to electricity.
Secondary schools have achieved an electrification rate of 83%, with 2 393 of 2 871 schools connected to either the conventional grid electricity or solar energy.
Health facilities have the highest level of access to electricity, with 1 859 of the country’s 1 934 rural clinics connected to the national grid or alternative power sources, representing 96% coverage.
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The statistics show that Mashonaland East leads the country in overall rural institutional electrification, followed by Matabeleland South and Manicaland.
REA public relations and marketing executive Johannes Nyamayedenga said the agency targeted to provide energy to all rural health centres and schools by the end of 2026 as directed by government.
“We are doing our level best to meet the directive of electrifying all clinics and schools by the end of the year as directed by the Minister of Energy and Power Development, July Moyo,” he said.
However, challenges remain in some provinces.
Midlands still has 414 public institutions awaiting electrification, while Mashonaland West has 424 outstanding institutions and Masvingo has 473 yet to be connected.
REA’s cumulative figures show that the agency has electrified 11 408 rural institutions since its inception in 2002.
These include 3 255 primary schools, 1 643 secondary schools, 1 086 rural health centres and clinics, 497 government extension offices, 282 traditional leadership institutions, 1 397 business centres and 1 316 villages.
The programme has also brought electricity to 887 small-scale farms and more than 1 000 other community facilities, including churches, co-operatives, irrigation schemes and community boreholes.
The latest figures underscore the role of electrification in improving access to education, healthcare and economic opportunities in rural Zimbabwe, while also highlighting the work still needed to achieve universal access for all public institutions.
“What makes us happy and an organisation is that the lifestyles of benefiting communities are improving as many are running successful village business projects like welding, carpentry, battery charging, hair salons, barber shops, just to mention but a few,” Nyamayedenga said.
He added that some benefiting smallholder farmers embarked on irrigation farming after REA electrified their farms, thereby making significant contribution to the national food security.
Soon after schools and clinics, REA will re-visit all the rural areas to connect village homesteads and other projects and ensure the achievement of universal access to modern energy services by 2030.
