Strive Masiyiwa Completes A 100KW Solar Plant In Bulima District

Telecoms Moguls Strive Masiyiwa’s ‘Re-ImagineRural’ Initiative has completed a 100KW solar plant in Bulima District’s Ndolwane area, The Chronicle reports.

The energy from the solar plant will befit 70 small businesses according to the businessman who wrote on his Facebook page:

There is a place in rural Zimbabwe called Ndolwane. It is in a part of the country known as Matabeleland. We chose it as the first site of our ‘Re-Imagine Rural Ugesi Minigrids’.

We built a 100KW solar power plant at its small business center. It now provides power to 70 small businesses, residents, and other activities.

Some are using the power to irrigate market gardens to sell vegetables. Someone is planning to do a major poultry business using its power. We are expanding its power line grid to eventually reach a 10km radius.

Masiyiwa further confirmed the initiative bought its own rig and it will start drilling boreholes in dry communities like Ndolwane very soon:

We have just bought our own water drilling rig and as soon as it arrives we plan to drill deep well boreholes in places like Ndolwane, where it is dry. It will help communities with market gardening and water for their cattle

Masiyiwa says the initiative is his plan for rural Zimbabwe and he said he is excited about it:

Several global philanthropists have asked for presentations on how this model can be used in other African countries. This really excites me.