Public Electricity Supply in Portuguese Guinea, 1930-1974
Guinea-Bissau has a chronically underperforming electricity sector that fails to provide most of the population outside of the capital, Bissau, with access to electricity – nowadays considered a basic human need. Little is known about the evolution of this large socio-technical system. Archival rese...
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Sciendo
2025-06-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.2478/host-2025-0005 |
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| author | Stoppok Manfred |
| author_facet | Stoppok Manfred |
| author_sort | Stoppok Manfred |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Guinea-Bissau has a chronically underperforming electricity sector that fails to provide most of the population outside of the capital, Bissau, with access to electricity – nowadays considered a basic human need. Little is known about the evolution of this large socio-technical system. Archival research reveals the conditions under which the electricity supply and distribution system was set up. Between the 1930s and 1950s, a system of isolated mini-grids was established in the capital, Bissau, and the towns of the interior. It was expanded in the 1960s and adapted to military needs during the Bissau-Guinean war of independence (1963-1974). Maintenance was a major challenge for the colonial administration. The systems of isolated mini-grids suffered from poor technical quality of the installations, poor maintenance, lack of administrative management capacity, and consumers not paying for their consumption. Post-colonial Guinea-Bissau inherited an electricity sector with systemic challenges that persist to this day. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bd09cf2b08404c1c90b31ca404bce236 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1646-7752 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Sciendo |
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| spelling | doaj-art-bd09cf2b08404c1c90b31ca404bce2362025-08-20T03:11:39ZengSciendoHoST1646-77522025-06-0119110012810.2478/host-2025-0005Public Electricity Supply in Portuguese Guinea, 1930-1974Stoppok Manfred0Department of Social Anthropology, University of Bayreuth, GermanyGuinea-Bissau has a chronically underperforming electricity sector that fails to provide most of the population outside of the capital, Bissau, with access to electricity – nowadays considered a basic human need. Little is known about the evolution of this large socio-technical system. Archival research reveals the conditions under which the electricity supply and distribution system was set up. Between the 1930s and 1950s, a system of isolated mini-grids was established in the capital, Bissau, and the towns of the interior. It was expanded in the 1960s and adapted to military needs during the Bissau-Guinean war of independence (1963-1974). Maintenance was a major challenge for the colonial administration. The systems of isolated mini-grids suffered from poor technical quality of the installations, poor maintenance, lack of administrative management capacity, and consumers not paying for their consumption. Post-colonial Guinea-Bissau inherited an electricity sector with systemic challenges that persist to this day.https://doi.org/10.2478/host-2025-0005electrificationguinea-bissauhistory of technologyportuguese colonialismhistory of electricity |
| spellingShingle | Stoppok Manfred Public Electricity Supply in Portuguese Guinea, 1930-1974 HoST electrification guinea-bissau history of technology portuguese colonialism history of electricity |
| title | Public Electricity Supply in Portuguese Guinea, 1930-1974 |
| title_full | Public Electricity Supply in Portuguese Guinea, 1930-1974 |
| title_fullStr | Public Electricity Supply in Portuguese Guinea, 1930-1974 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Public Electricity Supply in Portuguese Guinea, 1930-1974 |
| title_short | Public Electricity Supply in Portuguese Guinea, 1930-1974 |
| title_sort | public electricity supply in portuguese guinea 1930 1974 |
| topic | electrification guinea-bissau history of technology portuguese colonialism history of electricity |
| url | https://doi.org/10.2478/host-2025-0005 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT stoppokmanfred publicelectricitysupplyinportugueseguinea19301974 |