22 September 2014, Dar es Salaam — Republic of Ireland-based consultancy firm, ESB International, recently won a $966,000 contract, with the Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited (TANESCO).
Over 18 months, ESB International will help in the design and implementation of TANESCO’s centralised customer contact centre in Dar es Salaam.
The contract is funded by the World Bank under its Tanzania Energy Development and Access Project (TEDAP) programme. ESB International emerged the best through a competitive bidding process.
According to a press release, Sophia Mgonja, the TANESCO acting Deputy Managing Director Distribution and Customer Service said, “The broad objectives of this project are to improve the quality and standards of service in order to enhance TANESCO’s customer relations and improve its revenue collection.”
She said, “We are pleased to award this contract to ESB International and look forward to continuing to solidify a good working relationship with them. We anticipate tapping into their contact centre expertise to help to manage our business and continue to improve its performance over the coming 18 months.”
Ollie Brogan, ESB International. managing director said, “Winning this contract reflects the depth of expertise ESB International has, which increasingly puts us in a good position to win business in highly competitive world markets.”
The TEDAP World Bank programme was launched to improve the quality and efficiency of the electricity service provision in Tanzania, and to establish a sustainable basis for energy access expansion and renewable energy development in the country.
In 2008, ESB International won an international competitive tender worth $25 million to provide energy sector consultancy services to the Millennium Challenge Account Tanzania (MCA-T) Energy Project.
The $200 million Project, which is wholly funded by the US government through MCA-T, aims to ensure the long-term development of power transmission and distribution networks in Tanzania for future generations.
One of Tanzania’s biggest challenges is its under-developed energy infrastructure. Its electricity power supply is unreliable and only 15% of the population is connected to the national grid.
At the first US.-Africa Summit held in August in Washington, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim committed $5 billion in technical and financial support for energy projects in six African countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria and Tanzania.
– East African Business Week