(Business in Cameroon) - The first half of 2023 saw a fresh air in the electricity sector. In just six months, the public electricity utility completed 78,000 new connections to the grid. This is an impressive 128% achievement rate.

This outstanding performance is largely attributed to the Rural Electrification and Access to Energy Project in Underserved Areas of Cameroon (PERACE), led by the Rural Electrification Agency (AER) and funded by the World Bank. PERACE offers beneficiaries the opportunity to pay connection fees in manageable installments.

"More than 90% of connection requests satisfied in the first half of 2023 have subscribed to this World Bank-backed facility," according to the Cameroonian electricity production and distribution company.

Approved in 2018, the Perace initiative is dedicated to electrifying 687 communities across six regions of the country by constructing and rehabilitating medium and low-voltage power lines. To date, the project has received approximately CFA85 billion in funding from the World Bank, to electrify around 417 localities and achieve nearly 120,000 connections out of the 160,000 target by 2025.