Already one of the least electrified countries in the World, Niger is about to start operating a power station offered by Morocco in a bid to help the Sahel country ease its energy crisis.
Niger has an electrification rate of only 20%, ranking ahead of five poor African states: South Sudan, Burundi, Chad, Malawi and Burkina Faso. This left the country dependent on energy imports from neighboring Nigeria, at a context of soaring relations following the military coup.
The 22.5 MW capacity station was donated by Morocco to help Niger meet some of its electricity needs, as part of a south-south cooperation logic with tangible benefits for citizens.
The station is expected to start supplying electricity by the end of this month, le360 news outlet reported.
The donation was ordered by King Mohammed VI following a visit in Rabat by Niger’s Prime Minister Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine.
Officials from Morocco’s water and electricity utility (ONEE) visited Niamey to assess the needs and consider measures to ease the energy deficit in the country.
Morocco has offered a larger approach, known as the Atlantic initiative, to help landlocked states access the Atlantic through Moroccan ports.