REA, EACOP sign a deal to provide electricity along the oil pipeline

DAR ES SALAAM: THE Rural Energy Agency (REA) and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline Project (EACOP) have signed an agreement aimed at providing electricity to the villages and communities crossed by the pipeline on the Tanzanian side.

The five-year cooperation agreement was signed in Dar es Salaam by the REA Director General, Engineer Hassan Saidy, and the EACOP Managing Director, Guillaume Dulout.

Speaking after the signing of the agreement, REA Director General, Engineer Saidy, said that the agreement will ensure that communities living along the oil pipeline project from Kagera Region to Tanga Region are reached and benefit from the project by providing electricity services.

Engineer Saidy added that the partnership, along with other benefits, aims to strengthen social services such as schools, health centers, and water projects, stimulate the use of electricity for asset production activities, and promote business in rural areas.

For his part, the Executive Director of EACOP, Dulout, said that the implementation of the project is a continuation of EACOP’s efforts to improve the lives of communities crossed by the oil pipeline project.

In Tanzania, the oil pipeline project passes through 8 regions, 27 councils, and 231 villages, thus directly affecting the lives of many rural communities. The implementation of the agreement between REA and EACOP is an important step in ensuring that communities along the oil pipeline project directly benefit from access to electricity.