The World Bank Group's International Development Association (IDA)-financed Electricity Access & Services Expansion Project (EASE) Project started in 2018 and has provided electricity to more than 3 million people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The EASE Project comprised two major components: the rehabilitation and extension of the Société National d'Electricité distribution network and the extension of private operators' activities, through loans on attractive terms and subsidies to their customers in Kinshasa, Nord Ubangi, the Grand Kasaï Region, and Grand Kivu. Eight private electricity supply operators have benefited from financial support; 827 companies and SMEs have been connected; key institutional reforms have been implemented; and above all, a roadmap for the future has been drawn up.