Despitesomesuccesses,aWorldBankreportexposestheurgencyforAfricatoincreaseenergyproduction
ByFionaForde
ItishighlyunlikelyatthisstagethatAfricawillmeettheUNtargetofaccesstoaffordable,reliableandsustainableenergyforallby2030,withSub-SaharanAfricaappearingtobeinadirestate.
AccordingtotheWorldBank鈥檚GlobalTrackingFrameworkreportreleasedattheAfricaEnergyIndabaheldinJohannesburgonFebruary1617,680millionpeopleinthe48Sub-Saharancountriesstilldonothaveaccesstoelectricity.Aconcerteddrivebetween2010and2012torectifythatproblembroughtmorethan50millionpeopleontothecontinent鈥檚grids.Whilethefigurewasimpressive,itwasquicklyoutstrippedbythepopulationgrowth.
Buttherearecountriesthataretheexception.Ethiopia,NigeriaandSouthAfricarecordedexcellentpoweraccessibilityratesduringthatsameperiod,whileMali,RwandaandtheDemocraticRepublicoftheCongoalsomanagedmeaningfulfigures,thoughoverall,thegrowthinelectrificationwasnegative.
Littlehaschangedsincethen.Onaverage,24millionpeoplearebeinggivenaccesstoelectricityeachyear,butinordertokeepabreastofthepopulationgrowththefigureneedstopushupto60million.Thisisnotanimpossibletask.InSouthAsia,electrificationhasgrownfourtimesasfastasitspopulation,accordingtothereport,whichputstheglobalaccessdeficitatjustunder3billion,themajorityofitbeinginruralareasofAfricaandAsia.
NotsurprisingthereforeisthefactthatpercapitaconsumptionofelectricityinSub-SaharanAfricaisfalling.Itispresently124kw-hoursayear,noteven1percentofsomeoftheworld鈥檚high-incomeormoredevelopedcountries.
Hours-longpoweroutageshavenowbecomecommonplaceandatenormouscoststolocaleconomies,amountingtoasmuchas2percentofGDPinsomejurisdictions,thereportsays.
Despitebeinganenergy-intensiveregion,70percentofAfrica鈥檚energyconsumptionisstilllargelyderivedfromthetraditionaluseofbiomass,suchasburningtrees,yardscrapsandmunicipalsolidwaste,whichpartlyexplainswhythecontinentneedstwiceasmuchenergyasEuropetoproduceasingledollarofGDP.ItbegsthequestionwhytwooutofthreepeoplestilllackelectricityaccessinAfrica,regardedasthemostrenewableenergy-resourcedcontinentintheworld.Thatsaid,thecontinent鈥檚recentforayintorenewables(suchashydro,geothermal,windandsolar),whichcomprise9percentofAfrica鈥檚energyproduction,iswellaheadofAsia.
Ifthecurrenttrendsprevail,lessthanhalfofallAfricancountrieswillhaveuniversalaccesstoelectricityby2050,longaftertheUN鈥檚2030targethascomeandgone.
Ifthecontinentweretoattempttoplaycatch-up,thereportestimatesitwouldcostaround$50billionto$80billioneachyeartodoso,ofwhichapproximately$784.2millionwouldhavetobetargetedatenergyefficiency.
TheWorldBankhasappealedtotheprivatesectorandinternationalinvestorcommunitytoexaminetheopportunitiestheenergydeficitinAfricapresents.CA
(ReportingfromSouthAfrica)