Electricity Access Project Services and Community Development in Rwanda; A Case of EPC Project in Burera District
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53819/81018102t2172Abstract
The overall goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between electricity access project services and community development. The study's three main goals were to determine the impact of electricity connection services, the effect of electricity maintenance services, and the relationship between electricity vending services and community development in Rwanda using the example of the EPC project in Burera District. The research project is a significant to different stakeholders including public administration, management and business development partners, future academicians, lecturers, researcher himself and the community in general. For data collection via interview and questionnaire, the researcher employed a descriptive study design that combined qualitative and quantitative data. The total population was 4,291 and designed a sample size of 393 in which the researcher used census for all 24 staff and 4 stakeholders, and then simple random sampling of 365 respondents from 4,263 project beneficiaries. The researcher presented the data in tables and used descriptive and inferential statistical analysis with mean, standard deviation, and Chi-square to examine the findings. The researcher found that electricity access is one of the ways that facilitated community development in Rwanda and that there is good electricity connection services in Rwanda, mean 3.75; good electricity maintenance services in Rwanda, mean 3.55 and good electricity vending services in Rwanda, mean 3.45; statistically sign=0.000<0.05. The role of electricity access on community development include enabling income generation activities, enhancing improved health and education services. The effects of electricity maintenance services on community development include effects from power interruptions such as reduction of working duration, increasing cost of production, fall on quality of products and services, damage of appliances, and that unreliable power affect most health sector, followed by businesses and education services. Electricity vending services and community development in Rwanda are positively correlated in the way that it is easy to buy electricity through private telecommunication companies and banks; good tariff for residential households, industry and health facilities enables community development. On contrary, the researcher noticed a negative relationship in terms of encouraging small businesses and education facilities that have high electricity tariff, in turn play less contribution on community development in Rwanda. The researcher concluded that though electricity access is not the sole indicator, it has been one among the pillars that contributed on community development in Rwanda. The researcher argued that the country should continue the plan of electrification for all, enforcing mostly in those areas with big impact including industries, commercial centers, small enterprises, health and education facilities and other productive uses that contribute more to the living standards of the community, and commended quality of power supply and affordable electricity tariff to stimulate community development.
Keywords: Connection Services, Maintenance Services, Vending Services, Burera District, Rwanda
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