RESIDENTS of Mali Island remain uncertain whether the long-awaited electrification project will be completed before Christmas, with no work carried out in their area over the past two weeks.
Tui Mali Ratu Apenisa Bogiso said while they were informed that work was continuing, construction had yet to reach Nakawaga.
“The electricity poles have been erected on Ligaulevu,” he said.
Ratu Apenisa said villagers were told the project would be completed before Christmas this year, but he was unsure whether that target would be achieved.
“From what we have seen, I don’t have much confidence. For the past two weeks, no workers have been here.”
Despite the ongoing project, he said Mali villagers continued to live without electricity and depended entirely on small solar systems to meet their daily energy needs.
“We have been living in the dark for quite some time.”
He said that access to reliable electricity would improve the quality of life for villagers by providing better lighting, supporting children’s education, and creating opportunities for future economic development.
In response, the acting commissioner Northern Apolosi Lewaqai said the project was expected to be completed and officially commissioned by November 2026.
Mr Lewaqai said as part of the overall electrification program, household wiring works for the three villages would commence in August 2026 under the next financial year’s budget allocation.
