On 19th March 2024, Ambassador Baraka Luvanda received a courtesy visit from three (03) co-founders of Tanzania & Japan (TJ) Watatu Ltd., a joint venture company co-founded by three (so, the name watatu) entrepreneurs from Tanzania and Japan. The visitors included, Mr. Yuki Mito, the President; Mr. Sho Izaki, Vice President; Mr. Reuben Ngari, Executive Director; who were accompanied by Mr. Louis Klépal of Shift Energy Japan.

They introduced and presented their project namely, Tanzania Commune Energy, which aims to provide clean renewable energy through solar power to communities in Tanzania. They informed that the project is intended to generate 30mW for Mafinga and Ifunda communities, with the capacity to supply clean energy to 66,000 houses and farms, equivalent to 42,000,000 kWh/year, to be sold to TANESCO, annually. They also expressed their intention to extend the project to other regions and cities of Tanzania, including Songea, Njombe, Iringa, Mbeya, Dodoma, Shinyanga, Karatu, and Songea.

In response to their presentation and request, Ambassador Luvanda expressed appreciation for their enthusiasm and the commendable work in Tanzania, which promises to facilitate the provision of electricity to rural areas of the country. He assured them of the Embassy’s support in engaging with the relevant Tanzanian authorities to facilitate the implementation of their project in Tanzania.