Chinese company signs MoU with Ethiopia to light up off-grid areas

ADDIS ABABA, April 13 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian Electric Utility (EEU) and Chinese telecom company Huawei signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Friday to bring electricity to people living in off-grid areas of Ethiopia.

The MoU, signed at the Ethiopia Green Energy Summit 2024 in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, is part of the national electrification project that aims to achieve universal access to electricity in the East African country by 2030, according to Shiferaw Telila, chief executive officer (CEO) of the EEU.

Telila said the EEU would work with Huawei to use solar energy to light up off-grid areas, which refer to locations that are not connected to the national electricity network.

"The MoU focuses on partnering with Huawei to accelerate the digitization of electricity, build and maintain data centers, and expand electric vehicle charging in Ethiopia," said Telila.

Speaking to Xinhua, Liu Jifan, CEO of Huawei Ethiopia, said the agreement aims to deepen cooperation between the EEU and Huawei to promote efficient green technology solutions in the country.

"We are providing off-grid technology solutions to Ethiopia and want to be part of the country's clean energy development," said Liu.

According to official statistics, Ethiopia's current energy production is heavily dependent on hydropower, which accounts for about 90 percent of energy production. Ethiopia has the potential to generate more than 60,000 megawatts of electricity from renewable energy sources, including wind, solar and geothermal.