Africa is a home to over one billion people scattered over a total of 54 geographical regions or countries.<\/p>\n
Divided as Africans could appear, speaking over 100 different languages, one thing has a common thread throughout the continent. Africans are poor.<\/p>\n
Civil wars, poor infrastructure, diseases, lack of access to education have also characterised the continent over the past couple of years.<\/p>\n
Last week, over 4000 governments as well as non governmental organisation leaders descended on the Zambian capital, Lusaka, to among other things map the future for the continent.<\/p>\n
This was during the African Development Bank Annual Meetings held under the theme \u2018Energy and Climate Change\u2019.<\/p>\n
During the meeting, one thing was clear. Every African is impatient for change. The delegates seemed to agree that improving the energy solutions of the continent could help improve the economic fortunes of Africa.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe decided to work on light up and power Africa because Africa is the only region of the world where lack of electricity has unfortunately become the norm.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver 645 million people lack access to electricity. Over 700 million do not have access to clean energy for cooking. Children learn in the dark. Businesses operate are in the dark. Surgeries are done in the dark,\u201d said AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina.<\/p>\n
He noted that the greatest hindrance to Africa\u2019s growth and development is lack of electricity.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is unacceptable that 138 years after Thomas Edison developed the light bulb, hundreds of millions of people cannot have access to electricity to simply light up the bulb in Africa,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
His remarks came at a time when Malawi continues to face a huge energy deficit with less than 10 percent of its population connected to the national grid.<\/p>\n
No wonder the country is considered among the poorest countries in the world.<\/p>\n
The AfDB chief said Africa is simply tired of being in the dark, adding that something needs to be done sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur goal is clear: universal access to energy for Africa within ten years. Expand grid power by 160 gigawatts. Connect 130 million persons to grid power. Connect 75 million persons to off grid systems. And provide access to 150 million households to clean cooking energy,\u201d said Adesina.<\/p>\n
The AfDB chief, who is championing the implementation of the high 5\u2019s which are: light up and power Africa; feed Africa; industrialise Africa; integrate Africa and improve the quality of life of the people of Africa, noted that accelerating the process of solving the energy question for Africa could help fuel the industrialization of the continent.<\/p>\n
He observed that the formula for the wealth of nations is clear: rich nations add value to exports, poor nations export raw materials.<\/p>\n
Citing an example of cocoa, Adesina said Africa accounts for 75 percent of the global production of the beans but reaps only two percent of the $100 billion annual market for chocolate.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis model can no longer create the desired wealth for Africa. Africa must no longer be stuck at the bottom of the value chains. Africa must now rapidly diversify its export mix and add value to all of its raw materials by developing efficient and competitive value chains.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is especially critical, as Africa only accounts for 1.9 percent of global value added in manufacturing, and this has not changed for decades. It is now time to industrialise Africa,\u201d said Adesina.<\/p>\n
Over the past years, Africans have been known to have great ideas but implementation has been a very huge problem.<\/p>\n
To ensure that energy issues are given the necessary attention, the AfDB has established a new Vice Presidency complex on power, energy and green growth. This makes the bank the first multilateral development bank globally to fully dedicate a Vice Presidency complex entirely to energy: to light up and power Africa.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur focus will be on energy systems, renewable energy, energy policy, statistics and regulations; and energy partnerships,\u201d said Adesina.<\/p>\n
Zambia\u2019s President Edgar Lungu said affordable and reliable electricity underpins every aspect of social and economic life.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo in every three Africans totaling around 640 million have no access to electricity at all. Needless to say Africa has massive resources for both conventional and renewable energy and yet it is known for darkness in homes and no power for our industries.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout universal access to energy services of adequate quality and quantity, countries cannot sustain dynamic growth, build more inclusive societies and accelerate progress towards eradicating poverty,\u201d said Lungu.<\/p>\n
He further noted that when health systems are unable to provide preventive and curative services, people who are already vulnerable face heightened risks.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnergy deficits act as a brake on economic growth, job creation and poverty reduction, and thus reinforce inequalities linked to wealth, gender and the rural-urban divide. It is, therefore, paramount that energy matters are comprehensively addressed,\u201d said Lungu.<\/p>\n
Realising the importance of energy in unlocking Africa\u2019s potential, a consortium of nongovernmental organizations and companies working in the energy sector, Power for All,<\/p>\n
However, observed that focusing on big energy infrastructure projects \u2018actually hinder efforts to meet global goals for electrification\u2019, adding that the opportunity costs of delaying energy access can be remedied if multilateral development banks and infrastructure development agencies incorporate into their plans the full spectrum of energy options available today, including decentralized renewable energy (DRE) systems.<\/p>\n
In its report, \u2018Decentralized Energy: the Fast- Track to Universal Energy Access,\u2019 released on the sidelines of the meetings, Power For All notes that a recent independent evaluation of large scale energy investment portfolios take an average of nine years to complete.<\/p>\n
The report described the emphasis on large-scale infrastructure initiatives as misguided, considering the fact that 85 percent of the energy-poor live in rural areas where DRE can deliver on energy access goals, and climate, gender, education, health and rural development goals quicker, more cost-effectively and more reliably than the centralized grid can.<\/p>\n
The Power for All report shows that a household solar company would require at most a three-month wait per connection, while connections from a mini-grid company would take approximately four months; more than eight years less than the average grid.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnergy access is central to nearly every major development challenge the world faces today, and with decentralized renewables, it doesn\u2019t have to wait,\u201d said Power for All\u2019s Kristina Skierka, Director of the Global Campaign.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith a reprioritization of funding, shifting of internal incentives, and adaptation of successful, fast-track funding schemes for decentralized renewables, the MDBs can become the great accelerators of energy access and leaders in achieving power for all.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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