Ministry of Energy and Mining’s Accelerating Sustainable and Clean Energy Access Transformation (Ascent) Project is expected to connect 2 212 houses, 33 health facilities and six community-day secondary schools (CDSSs) in Chitipa District.
Ascent monitoring and evaluation specialist Wavisanga Munyenyembe said the project was designed to support Malawi in achieving its strategic goal of reaching at least 50 percent electricity access by 2030 as outlined in the Malawi 2063.
He said Ascent, a World Bank-funded project, is a successor of the Malawi Electricity Access Project (Meap), which phased out on December 31 2025.
“The project is supposed to connect 235 000 houses when it phases out in 2030. For Chitipa, we are supposed to connect 2 212 houses, 33 health facilities and six CDSSs,” said Munyenyembe.
Chitipa District Civil Society Organisations Network chairperson Patrick Ziba commended the World Bank for pumping in $250 000 for the project which is being implemented in 27 districts across the country except Likoma.
“Most houses and institutions are not connected to electricity in rural areas and the Ascent project will help to light rural areas with electricity. This is a huge investment for our district. We appeal to implementers to manage the funds well,” he said.
Chitipa District Council director of economic planning and development Phillimon Maseko said the project will transform rural areas.
“The project is going to attract more entrepreneurs to open more businesses in rural areas,” he said.
