LocationsMini-grid to transform lives in remote Eswatini community
November 10, 2026
Mnigrid brings smiles to Bulimeni community.
For residents of Bulimeni, a remote community on the outskirts of Manzini, access to electricity is about to open the door to possibilities many households have long waited for.
Children will be able to study after dark and access digital learning opportunities. Families will be able to power televisions and other household appliances. Entrepreneurs will have an opportunity to establish and grow businesses, while essential services such as maize milling, sewing, dressmaking and hairdressing will be available much closer to home.
At the centre of this transformation is a new solar mini-grid that is nearing completion.
Despite 89 per cent of Eswatini’s 1.2 million having access to electricity, according to the Eswatini Energy Regulatory Authority (ESERA), some remote communities remain beyond the reach of the national grid. Bulimeni, with about 100 homesteads, is one of them. Eswatini aims to reach universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy by 2030, in line with Goal 7 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
A 65-kilowatt peak solar photovoltaic mini-grid, supported by 165 kilowatt-hours of battery storage, is being installed to provide reliable, sustainable electricity to about 168 customers, including households and businesses.
Alongside the mini-grid, the project is supporting the establishment of a business centre that will house a hammer mill, salon, sewing and dressmaking services. Together, these investments are expected to create new income-generating opportunities while bringing much-needed services closer to the community.
“We’re going to start income-generating projects and transform the lives of our children, especially those in school, who have no access to digital services because of the lack of electricity,” said Bulimeni resident Khombisile Nhlengethwa.
Bulimeni Business Centre soon to be operational.
Powering livelihoods, not just homes
The investment is being delivered through the Africa Minigrids Programme (AMP), a country-led initiative operating across 21 African countries. The programme seeks to accelerate investment in solar-battery mini-grids while demonstrating how decentralised renewable energy can support economic development and improve livelihoods in communities that are not connected to national electricity grid.
A key focus is on the productive use of energy, ensuring that electricity does more than light homes. It powers businesses, supports agriculture, enhances education and healthcare services, and also creates opportunities for local enterprise.
The programme is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the African Development Bank, Rocky Mountain Institute, and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy to Eswatini through ESERA.
The community cross the river using this makeshift foot bridge.
Bringing services closer to Mvundla
The project's impact is also being felt in nearby Mvundla, another remote community connected to a mini-grid developed by the Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC).
For years, residents faced significant challenges accessing basic services because of the area's difficult terrain. For years, getting maize milled in Mvundla meant leaving the community. Residents travelled several kilometres to the nearest mill, paid for transport, then carried their mealie meal home on foot across the river, using a makeshift bridge.
Now the mill is in the village. Mvundla's new business centre, which also offers welding, carpentry and sewing, brings maize milling to the community's doorstep, saving time and money.
“We’re now going to get business opportunities so that we can further transform the lives of the people in our community,” she said.
In addition to the infrastructure, project participants from both communities received extensive training in business establishment and management through a partnership with the Small Enterprises Development Company (SEDCO).
The installation team had to find innovative ways of moving heavy equipment through the challenging terrain.
Overcoming difficult terrain
Getting the infrastructure to these communities has itself been a major undertaking. Poor access roads, particularly in Bulimeni, made transporting construction materials, poles and equipment difficult. The installation team had to find innovative ways of moving heavy equipment through the challenging terrain, including adapting a tractor for the task.
UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Nessie Golakai-Gould commended the partners and local installation team for their determination to reach communities that would otherwise remain underserved.
“As the technical and oversight lead in the implementation of this project, we’re impressed by the work done by the local installation company, which had to adapt a heavy tractor to transport equipment and poles through the difficult terrain and poor access roads to the communities, especially Bulimeni,” said Golakai-Gould.
She also acknowledged ESERA and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy for their partnership in advancing the project.
Launched in 2022, the initiative has continued to make progress despite the logistical challenges of reaching the two communities. A recent progress assessment found implementation well advanced, with the handover expected in early 2027.
For Bulimeni, that handover will mean much more than switching on electricity. It will mean connecting a community to new opportunities for learning, enterprise, essential services and improved livelihoods, demonstrating how clean energy can help ensure that even the hardest-to-reach communities are not left behind.
“We’re going to start income-generating projects and transform the lives of our children, especially those in school, who have no access to digital services because of the lack of electricity,” said Bulimeni resident Khombisile Nhlengethwa.