Bboxx, a next generation utility, and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have expanded their partnership to provide clean and affordable energy to millions of Congolese people
The previous agreement was signed two years ago at the UK-Africa Investment Summit 2020. It was one of the key partnerships signed under President Tshisiekedi’s pledge to reach 30% electrification nationwide.
It included a commitment by UK-based Bboxx to invest significantly in Congo and establish its clean energy services across rural and peri-urban areas.
The DRC Government, under the Honorable Minister of Energy and Hydraulic Resources (MEHR) and the National Electrification and Rural Energy Services Agency (ANSER), have now pledged to renew the Bboxx partnership for another two years.
Under this extension, Bboxx will expand its clean energy services to the provinces of Kasai Central, Kasai, Kasai Oriental, Kwilu, Bas-Congo, Equateur and Kinshasa. It also plans to expand its product offering to include clean cooking solutions in the form of LPG stoves and fuel in North and South Kivu and Kinshasa.
The Government will work to remove VAT from the sale of solar systems and clean cooking solutions, as well as import duties on solar systems and clean energy equipment. The Government also aims to secure at least US$50mn of additional funding for the flagship programme ‘Fonds Mwinda’ before the end of 2023.
The joint ambition of the DRC government and Bboxx is to extend clean energy services to at least 3 million people by 2024 and 10 million by 2030.
Laurent Van Houcke, Bboxx co-founder and MD of Bboxx Capital, said, “Bboxx has kept the promise it made to the Congolese Government when we signed the first memorandum of understanding two years ago. Since then, we have invested significantly to serve hundreds and thousands of Congolese with clean energy solutions, and Bboxx has become the biggest private utility in the country. The next step is for us to continue to work with the Government to help achieve their vision of 30% electrification by 2024.”
Idesbald Chinamula, CEO of ANSER, remarked, “ANSER (Agence National d'Électrification et des Services Énergétiques en milieux Rural et periurbain) is excited to see the impact of its flagship programme ‘Fonds Mwinda’ which was launched last year and has the aim to develop access to energy in the rural and peri-urban areas of the DRC. With this new engagement from the DRC government to secure an additional US$50mn for Fonds Mwinda over the next two years, we look forward to working with Bboxx to create access to energy solutions in the areas that need it most, such as Kasai and Kwilu.”
