JNHPP: Powering Tanzania’s next development leap

TANZANIA: TANZANIA is entering a new energy era with the commissioning of the 2,115-megawatt Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project (JNHPP) on Saturday, a landmark investment that could fundamentally reshape the country’s economic prospects.

Built on the Rufiji River at a cost of about 7.452tri/- and financed entirely from domestic resources, the project gives Tanzania something every industrialising economy needs: The capacity to generate large amounts of reliable electricity from its own resources.

That is something Tanzanians should be proud of. JNHPP will raise the country’s installed electricity generation capacity to 4,646MW, strengthening energy security and providing a much firmer foundation for industrialisation, investment and economic growth.

With electricity access already approaching 80 per cent, the challenge is increasingly shifting from simply connecting people to ensuring that reliable power drives productive economic activity.

That matters because reliable and affordable electricity is not a luxury for a country pursuing Tanzania Development Vision 2050. It is a prerequisite.

Factories cannot operate efficiently without dependable power.

Mines, farms, irrigation schemes, data centres, hotels and small businesses all need electricity to expand.

A stronger power system can therefore translate into higher production, more investment, better jobs and greater economic competitiveness.

JNHPP is also a powerful demonstration of what Tanzania can achieve by mobilising its own resources for strategic, long-term investment.

Its completion underscores the value of directing national resources towards productive infrastructure that can strengthen the economy and accelerate development.

Its benefits could extend well beyond electricity generation.

The dam’s 33-billion-cubic-metre reservoir creates opportunities for irrigation, agriculture, tourism and other productive activities, potentially multiplying the economic value of the investment.

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But the commissioning should be seen as the beginning of the real economic test, not its conclusion.

The government must ensure that power generated at JNHPP reaches factories, farms, businesses and households efficiently.

Continued investment in transmission infrastructure will be essential to turn generating capacity into economic capacity.

Tanzania should use this new energy advantage to attract energyintensive industries, expand manufacturing, modernise agriculture, support mineral processing and create opportunities for local enterprises.

Businesses must also be able to access electricity at competitive and predictable prices. JNHPP should therefore be viewed as a platform for Tanzania’s next development phase.

Its greatest legacy will not be measured only in megawatts, but in factories built, businesses expanded, jobs created and livelihoods improved. As Tanzania looks towards 2050, JNHPP offers more than electricity. It offers the power to turn the country’s industrial ambitions into economic reality.