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Community-owned electric cooperatives transformed rural electrification in the USA, raising access from 10% to 90% in just 15 years starting in the late 1930s. This successful model has since been replicated in regions like South America and countries such as the Philippines and Bangladesh. In Africa, this movement is now beginning to take shape. In this episode, Doreen Chipika Bwalya and Frank Bergh from NRECA International discuss how electric cooperatives - rooted in member ownership and democratic governance - offer inclusive energy solutions while keeping electricity costs low. They also compare these community-driven models with investor-owned alternatives, shedding light on the seven cooperative principles that encourage local engagement and resilience.

By combining the strengths of cooperatives in local management with the innovation and complexity-handling capabilities of for-profit mini-grid companies, synergies may emerge that could lower tariffs and speed up mini-grid deployment. Could this hybrid approach become a viable model for accelerating rural electrification in Africa?

For more insight into NRECA's work, watch this video: https://youtu.be/gCOqxPax5lw?si=FgvN1BXim0a5c6H2 

NRECA International would like to thank the USAID Cooperative Development Program for funding their work in Zambia and Malawi. 

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