Academy for Educational Development

Every society needs energy to thrive. HIV/AIDS clinics, government offices, banks, schools,  and stores all need a reliable source of electricity if they are going to provide optimal service. In the war-torn country of Angola, AED is working to turn on the lights, which will improve the country’s overall development.

Following nearly three decades of civil war, Angola now has very little infrastructure. Many roads were impassable, bridges were destroyed, and power lines were unreliable.

Improving the electricity network is essential to restoring normal life for the country’s 14 million people. AED is working with the municipal government and the electricity provider in Kilamba Kiaxi (pronounced kil-lum-ba ki-a-sh) a district in the outskirts of the capital city Luanda.

“Energy may be the unsung hero of successful development,” said Mary Worzala, who heads up AED’s energy work in the Center for International Training. 

“Before the war, Kilamba Kiaxi was farmland, and had very low energy needs,” said Worzala.  But, she added, to escape the violence of the civil war, thousands of people fled to the capital, and now the Kilamba Kiaxi district is home to close to a million people. At the same time this influx occurred, there was no expansion of electrical services, and no maintenance of the existing system.

Now, only 10 percent of the people in the country have electricity. And in Kilamba Kiaxi, only ten to twenty percent of those few people who do have access to electricity actually pay for it. AED is working closely with EDEL, the electricity supplier, to improve the reach of the services and develop an effective billing and collection system. 

As with all its community development work, AED has approached this project with the goal of strengthening the links between the community and the energy provider. “Customer service training is a major priority for EDEL,” said Worzala. “They want to make sure the clerks in their portable pay offices are well-trained and can answer some of the tough questions that come up about who is getting electricity and why.”

AED is also working with the electric company to establish more convenient options for people to pay their electric bills and bringing the community into the planning process for expanding the company’s services.

AED is also working closely with the municipal government to provide training in urban planning, engineering, and technical skills. Worzala said, “The training and services AED is providing are essential because electricity is so vital to the success of this increasingly important country.”  Funding for this project is provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Banco de Fomento Angola.