In recent years, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has become a byword for violence and human rights abuse. Now, inhabitants of Butembo in the North Kivu province are seeking renown for something else: Entrepreneurial initiative.
Tired of waiting for government to meet their energy needs, businesspeople from Butembo have joined forces to build a hydroelectric dam. The energy for the Ivugha dam will be drawn from a waterfall situated along the Mususa river near Butembo.
The Mususa’s waters have already been diverted to a small turbine located 100 metres downstream. In its initial phase, the turbine will produce one megawatt of power: Enough to fuel the additional work that needs to be done at the site.
“Right now, we’re producing enough electricity to construct the real dam which, a year from now, will produce five megawatts,” said engineer and site supervisor Jean-Pierre Muhindo.
Certain streets, hospitals and schools in Butembo have already been electrified by power from the dam.
“We needed to show people that the project is viable before we ask them to fork over their money. This is the reason that our first act was to light public spaces, which will directly benefit the population,” project coordinator Daniel Hangi said. “They’ve been quick to notice how different it is from the days when they had to be afraid of being outside in the dark.”
First proposed in 1996, the Ivugha project almost never saw the light of day. That year marked the beginning of the insurgency that saw deceased president Laurent Kabila overthrow Mobutu Sese Seko, leader of what was then Zaire. When Kabila’s Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo laid siege to Butembo in 1997, the project was put on hold for three years.
In 2000, another insurgency led by the Goma faction of the rebel Congolese Rally for Democracy isolated the region from the rest of the country. Nonetheless, the project’s originators pressed ahead with their plans. (The DRC conflict ended in late 2002, although instability in the east of the country has persisted.)
They created the North Kivu Electrification Company (Société d’électrification du Nord-Kivu — Senoki) and enlisted the help of a South African firm – Clackson Power – that specialises in technology for rural electrification.
Clackson put the cost of the project at $3-million (various European companies put in bids at about $9-million). Under the auspices of an umbrella organisation, the Federation of Congolese Enterprises (Fédération des entreprises du Congo, FEC), local businesspeople pooled their resources to provide these funds. The hope was that they would be reimbursed when customers started signing up for electricity, says Hangi.
Instead of sending customers an account, Senoki has developed a system where people pay in advance for the power they use. “That way, we don’t have to run after them to collect on bills,” said Donatien Ndivito, president of the FEC.
The 700 000 residents of Butembo appear to be in support of the project. In addition to boosting development in the area, the dam will also reduce their dependence on wood as the fuel of choice for household needs.
Nonetheless, locals have not been breaking down Senoki’s doors to buy power — largely as a result of widespread poverty.
Most practice the subsistence farming of their forefathers. Tea and coffee, two export crops that used to earn the region revenue, are mostly no longer in cultivation since an outbreak of coffee wilt disease decimated the 1993-1994 crop.
“We’re satisfied just by the thought that electricity is now available in Butembo, even though we don’t have enough money to buy it ourselves,” says Celine Maskika, a Butembo housewife.
However, the project’s backers remain optimistic. According to the FEC, the precarious economic condition of people in the area was taken into account when the prices were set.
“We’re aware of our people’s economic situation, since we were born here and have experienced the same living conditions,” said Jean Muteti, a banker and member of the FEC.
“We talk about it a lot and have tried to set prices while taking into account all the problems, so that the majority will have access to electricity. When the plant is finally finished, it will produce more electricity and we will surely be able to revise prices downwards,” he adds.
At present, there are two types of electricity fee schedules for Butembo residents, depending on their financial status.
Prior to Ivugha’s generation of electricity, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) had set up diesel generators to provide residents with power. However, the electricity produced by these generators is more expensive than that created by the dam. Nevertheless, the generators still are in service and provide night-time illumination to certain neighborhoods not yet linked to Senoki.
“Butembo residents don’t need big quantities of electricity yet,” said Joseph Malembe, executive secretary of Coteder, a rural development NGO. “They essentially just need to light up their houses and cook their food on a hot plate.”
In reality, the biggest beneficiaries of the electrification project will be Butembo’s entrepreneurs, who are trying their hand at starting up small and medium-sized businesses like Maison Cafekit, which produces carbonated beverages.
“I’ve worked with diesel generators for 15 years, and they’re very unpleasant,” the manager of Maison Cafekit observes.
“With the electricity produced by the Ivugha dam, I’ll definitely produce more at lower cost and I’ll maybe even be able to lower my prices,” he adds. — IPS