Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
MANICALAND has emerged as a renewable energy leader, with solar power plants, mini-grids, and institutional installations reshaping the province’s development landscape.
These projects are driving rural industrialisation, economic growth, and inclusive development, in line with Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy (NDS2).
A growing network of solar power plants and mini-grids now stretches across the province — from Nyanga to Chipinge, Mutare to Makoni — transforming once-marginalised rural communities into thriving economic hubs.
On Wednesday, Energy and Power Development Minister, Honourable July Moyo, toured the 153-kilowatt Nzvimbe Solar Power Plant in Makoni South, witnessing first-hand how renewable energy is accelerating rural development.
He was accompanied by the Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Advocate Misheck Mugadza, REA board member, Mr Fungai Mbetsa, REA acting chief executive officer, Mrs Felister Makumbinde, and other senior officials — underscoring Government’s commitment to expanding energy access and driving rural economic transformation.
While the Nzvimbe project is a significant milestone, it forms part of a broader provincial energy revolution that positions Manicaland as a national hub for renewable energy.
In an interview, Minister Moyo highlighted the province’s rapid progress:
“Manicaland is no longer on the margins of development. It has become one of the leading provinces in our renewable energy rollout, and the impact is already visible on the ground. The Nzvimbe project is a very big project, one of many in Manicaland. It is going to serve a number of people, as has been happening at every other solar project across the province and beyond. We hope that all these beneficiaries will start taking stock of what they are going to do to fully utilise that power.”
Minister Moyo stressed that solarisation is about production and enterprise, not merely household lighting:
“Solarisation is not about lighting homes only. It is about unlocking production, creating jobs, and transforming rural communities into active economic centres. With reliable energy, people can irrigate their fields, process their produce, establish small industries, and create value where they live. That is how rural communities become part of the national economy and how we drive inclusive growth under Vision 2030.”
He said the solarisation drive is a deliberate national development strategy being championed by President Mnangagwa to accelerate rural transformation. “The President has made it clear that energy must reach every corner of the country because development cannot wait for the national grid to arrive,” said
Minister Moyo, while urging communities across Manicaland to align local development plans with NDS2 priorities, particularly in agriculture, education and youth empowerment.
“With electricity now available, communities must think irrigation, agro-processing and enterprise development. That is how we build sustainable rural economies under NDS2,” he said.
Minister Mugadza said what is unfolding across the province is no longer a series of isolated energy interventions, but a deliberate, coordinated push that places Manicaland at the centre of Zimbabwe’s green energy transition.
He said Manicaland’s solarisation drive is unmatched, with installations spread across health institutions, universities, industrial sites and rural communities, underscoring the province’s strategic importance in the national renewable energy matrix.
“There is a massive solarisation drive in Manicaland. At Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital, we have a 140-kilowatt solar power plant that has just recently started working. At Mutambara District Hospital there is a 150-kilowatt plant, at Hwakwata there is 200 kilowatts, at Verify Engineering we have another 200 kilowatts, at Africa University we have 600 kilowatts and at Hillcrest there is 200 kilowatts. We could go on, and on.
“What we are seeing in Manicaland is a coordinated solarisation programme that cuts across health, education, industry and households, making this province a national leader in renewable energy,” said Minister Mugadza, adding that the projects were deliberately anchored in rural and peri-urban areas to stimulate development at the grassroots.
“We took a deliberate decision to start from rural areas because that is where transformation is most needed and where energy has the greatest impact,” said Minister Mugadza, adding that new growth points were already emerging around energy hubs.
“Once electricity is introduced, economic activity follows naturally. These areas will soon evolve into vibrant service and business centres,” he said.
Mrs Makumbinde said Manicaland’s experience has demonstrated how decentralised renewable energy could sustainably drive rural development, particularly in remote communities.
“Our mandate is to reach communities that the conventional grid cannot easily reach, and renewable energy allows us to do that quickly and sustainably,” she said, adding that while infrastructure has been installed, long-term success depend on the productive use of the available power.
“When communities use electricity for business and production, the projects sustain themselves and development accelerates,” said Mrs Makumbinde.
She cited Hwakwata as a model, noting that electricity consumption there has already reached about 60 percent of the community.
“Hwakwata has shown us that rural solar projects work when communities fully utilise the power for income-generating activities,” she said.
At local level, the impact of solar power in Nzvimbe is already being felt. Nzvimbe High School head, Mr Wonderful Maenzanise said electricity has opened new possibilities for education in the area.
“Power gives us the chance to modernise teaching and prepare our learners for a digital economy, even in a remote area like Nzvimbe,” he said.
Makoni Rural District Council Ward 31 representative, Councillor Ignatius Garanewako said the community has fully embraced the project, which aligns with national development priorities.
“This project has changed how people think about development. There is now confidence that Government is serious about rural transformation,” he said.
He said residents are already wiring their homes and planning enterprises such as welding, irrigation schemes and cold storage facilities.
“Electricity has triggered new ideas, and that is exactly what rural industrialisation should look like,” said Councillor Garanewako.
Another villager, Mr Lazarus Bumbira said the arrival of electricity has brought renewed optimism.
“Electricity has given us dignity and hope. Our children can study at night, our clinics work better and we can finally plan for the future,” he said.
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