Togolese government seeks consulting support for power distribution project
Having obtained a loan from the International Development Association for the Reform and Investment electricity project, the government of Togo is scanning the consulting industry for support with the project’s preliminary designs, among a range of other services spread across a six-month contract.
Togo has become the latest addition to the long list of African countries enlisting the services of consultants for support with major infrastructure projects. The continent struggles constantly with a lack of funding in infrastructure, which is proving a significant hindrance to realising its potential in economic growth.
Reports emerged early this year that demand for electricity in sub-Saharan Africa is due to skyrocket in the years to come, and that the current level of infrastructure is not nearly sufficient to meet this demand. As expected, investment in power generation and distribution projects has gone up significantly.
Since the start of this year, at least eight major power projects have obtained funding from international agencies such as the Africa Development Bank, the International Development Bank, the World Bank, and even the United States Agency for International Development, the majority of which were in the economically lucrative region of Eastern Africa.
A section of the funds obtained from international agencies are usually deployed towards hiring consulting firms, which assist with various aspects of the project, from design to development. Togo has become the latest country to look for support from the consulting sector, for help with the Reform and Investment Project in the country’s power sector.
The project is aimed at enhancing Togo’s energy generation capacity, with the additional specific objective of improving access to electricity in Lomé – the country’s capital city. The project consists of three main components, namely improving the distribution systems, improving the institutional and policy framework, and overall capacity building.
At completion, the project will supply electricity to 960 rural communities, starting with 300 in the first phase. The supervising agency for the undertaking is the Togolese Rural Electrification and Renewable Energies Agency, which is now on the lookout for consultants.
The selected consulting firm will be tasked with a number of assignments over a six-month contract, including the identification of cost-effective means for technical improvements, the design of an initial blueprint with voltage specifications, identification of restrictions in the environmental or technical domains, and the preparation of budget estimates.
In addition, consultants will engage in geographical and demographic mapping to identify possible power station construction sites and access roads. Lastly, the firm will have to prepare an Environmental and Social Management Plan with the aim of achieving a Strategic Environment Assessment.