A short distance outside Lifakara, the Mtandasi river rushes and pounds into a thunderous waterfall. Janeth Andoya stands outside a small red-brick maize milling station nearby and points at the rapids.

"This is where our clean energy story begins," she says. "My late husband would always come to this part of the river and ask: why do we think we have no power in our village while there's enough energy in this water to power Lifakara and all the villages around it?”

Like most rural villages in Africa, the majority of people in Lifakara village used to rely on rudimentary and unclean forms of energy like firewood, charcoal, diesel generators, kerosene and animal waste. Disconnected from the national power grid, Lifakara and surrounding villages of Mbinga district in Southwest Tanzania, lacked a reliable supply of electricity.

Energy access is at the heart of development and a fundamental requirement to meet basic human needs and grow economies. Without access to basic energy services for things like lighting, cooking, heating, transportation and communication, people – most often women – are forced to spend much of their time and physical energy on subsistence activities. The disparity in electricity access places rural areas at an economic disadvantage compared to connected urban areas. Without access to electricity, rural households have fewer options to earn a living and their productivity is limited.

Andoya’s journey to provide power to Lifakara began with a basic hydroelectric-powered motor - enough to power the maize milling station. None of the villages outside of Mbinga town had access to electricity and Andoya's vision was to connect all of them in order to power businesses, schools, hospitals and households. Following the success of the milling station hydro project, he built the Andoya Hydroelectric Power company (AHEPO) and grew it into a 500-kW hydro power plant connecting 210 households across rural Mbinga.

"While we were able to build and grow the power plant, our vision of connecting all the villages in Mbinga district to electricity was still a distant dream. The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) was just the catalyst we needed to make this a reality."

Years back, UNCDF supported AHEPO with its ambitious second phase expansion -- growing its capacity to its full generation capacity of 1 kW and connecting a total of 889 households, 380 small and medium enterprises (SMEs), 70 public institutions and 4 processing plants. The new full-capacity plant can now also reach villages as far as Nyasa, beyond Mbinga district, broadening the project's impact. With electrification, new businesses have mushroomed across the district, households have reliable energy access and much-needed public services like hospitals can now stay open at night. One woman from this village puts it poignantly:

"Without electricity, I would not have been able to give birth safely to my son. I am quite certain I would have died. I went into labor very late at night and, once rushed to the hospital, I had several complications like excessive bleeding and problems with the umbilical cord. I am sure the doctors could only help me because the hospital already had power by then."

The majority of Tanzanians live in rural areas like Mbinga district, and increasing their economic productivity holds the key to reducing income gaps and social inequality. Rural electrification is a potent tool for expanding economic potential, overcoming barriers to increasing income and accessing a better life. Renewable energy, like AHEPO's hydro power, meets both the goals for increased electricity access and clean energy use, mitigating the adverse environmental impacts of carbon-based energy generation. Ndunguru Thomas, one of the businessmen who have benefited from Lifakara newfound energy access, speaks on the benefits of clean energy:

"I now have two businesses: a new sawmill, the first in the village, and I've expanded my maize milling business. Before the hydroelectricity, I used diesel generators for the maize milling - and my flour had a dark light-brown color and an aftertaste. Customers always complained about the flour, but we had no alternatives. Now, with the clean energy from AHEPO, my flour is also clean - pure white and tasty. Almost everyone in the village now buys from me and doesn't have to go to town for clean flour.”

Electricity has transformed this community. In many ways, energy is connected to each of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but particularly SDG 7: Clean and Affordable energy, SDG 5: Gender Equality and SDG 1: Poverty Reduction. The AHEPO small hydroelectric project is a catalyst for local development in rural communities creating jobs, meeting household needs and providing quality public services.