A N$681 365 electricity infrastructure project at Haimbodi Hamukoto Growth Centre in the Okatana constituency has brought power closer to residents.

However, households and businesses are still without individual connections, mines and energy minister Modestus Amutse said on Friday.

He said the project, funded by the Oshana Regional Council and executed by the Northern Electricity Distributor (Nored) with Forever Electrical and Construction, had established the backbone to supply the growth centre.

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The project included a medium-voltage line, transformer and aerial bundled conductor line.

However, Amutse cautioned that the infrastructure should not be mistaken for completed electrification.

The project did not include connections to individual homes and businesses.

"A network may pass close to a family while that family remains in darkness," he said.

Amutse directed his office to work with Nored, the regional council, constituency office and community to develop a service-connection plan.

"The plan must establish households and businesses ready to connect, clarify safety requirements, outline costs and application procedures, and provide a timetable. It must also identify barriers faced by low-income households and consider lawful support or phased solutions," he said.

Amutse said communities should receive progress reports, so that public investment moves from the line to connections and productive use.

"Access is not yet connection. Connection is not yet development," he said.

He urged residents and businesses that can afford connections to come forward, prepare premises through qualified electrical practitioners and avoid illegal connections, warning that unsafe connections could destroy homes or cost lives.

The minister also called on the community to protect the new infrastructure by reporting cable theft and vandalism, keeping children away from electrical equipment and paying for electricity used.

He said electricity could expand economic opportunities in Okatana, which has 20 000 people and 21 growth centres.

Poultry producers, gardeners, traders, welders and tailors could use power to increase production.

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Amutse said grid connections should be complemented by mini-grids, solar home systems or other off-grid solutions, where distance and affordability make conventional connections difficult.

"The true measure of electrification would be homes connected, enterprises started, jobs created and opportunities shared," he said.

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Source: AllAfrica