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Europe-backed lender makes Africa debut with $35mn Benin power deal

Maintenance of electricity transmission lines. Photo by Mario Spencer @ Unsplash
Maintenance of electricity transmission lines. Photo by Mario Spencer @ Unsplash
  • Europe-backed lender funds Benin power grid in first sub-Saharan Africa move
  • Project targets rural electrification and tests Europe’s development model in Africa

 

Europe’s reconstruction and development bank (ERDB) has made its first investment in sub-Saharan Africa, committing €30m ($35mn) to Benin’s state-owned electricity utility to expand and modernise power distribution.

The loan to the Société béninoise d’énergie électrique will finance upgrades and extensions to Benin’s electricity network, focusing on rural and peri-urban areas where access to reliable power remains limited. The project is expected to connect about 120,000 households – roughly 600,000 people — across some 750 villages in the Borgou, Mono and Couffo regions, according to the lender.

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