EU to provide €50m for Burundi’s energy security

The European Commission is set to launch projects worth €50 million (£43.6m) to provide access to sustainable energy in the east African nation of Burundi. Andris Piebalgs, EU Commissioner for […]

The European Commission is set to launch projects worth €50 million (£43.6m) to provide access to sustainable energy in the east African nation of Burundi.

Andris Piebalgs, EU Commissioner for Development will announce the scheme to help a million citizens during a two-day visit to the country this week.

The initiative will include small and medium hydro projects, rural electrification and energy infrastructure projects. Only 2.5% of people living in Burundi, a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa, currently have access to electricity.

Mr Piebalgs said: “There can be no development without energy and unfortunately, the energy situation in Burundi remains one of the worst in the world, with daily power cuts being experienced by most people.”

The project is part of the European Commission’s pledge to provide energy to around 500 million people by 2030.

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