AFRICA - Lighting Africa: World Bank proposes to supply Sub-Saharan Africa with electrical power using new means

Thursday, 6 September 2007

Rome (Agenzia Fides)- To supply modern lighting to over 250 million Sub-Saharan Africans by 2030 in an ecological and inexpensive manner without the use of fossil fuel is the goal of a 'Lighting Africa' initiative launched with the contribution of the World Bank.
At the moment most Africans use paraffin oil lamps for night time lighting, inefficient, polluting and increasingly more costly due to rising prices of petroleum. These lamps can cause fires and produce fumes which are a danger to health. African electricity supplies are scarce and subject to failure and power cuts.
This is why the promoters of “Lighting Africa” have chosen a new approach based on energy saving and local production of power using natural sources.
The plan is to distribute high energy electric bulbs based on the principle of light-emitting diodes, fed by solar panels, aeolian and even pedal powered generators, to create public lighting grids and to use the same technology in production activities. Fishermen at Lake Victoria for example use paraffin oil lamps to attract fish to the surface during the night, spending a thousand dollars a year on paraffin oil. The use of high energy electric bulbs would eliminate this expense and improve their income.
Already 350 companies have shown interest in the initiative which would open a market so far untapped. The World Bank has started the three stages of the “Lighting Africa” initiative in three points: a competition to develop low cost high quality lighting systems based on non fossil energy; market research in Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia to understand local needs and open future contacts for distribution; create a Web portal where producers, distributors and retail dealers can build business relations.
Africa also has a hydro-electrical potential still to be exploited. A hydroelectric plant in the River Congo could produce an annual 40,000 Megawatt of electrical power. However this project besides being expensive (40 billion dollars) comes up against political obstacles due to instability in the area. However work has started on the construction of large hydroelectric plants on the Nile, in Uganda, on the Niger and on the Volta. World wide hunger for energy is driving African countries to consider production of fuel of vegetable origin (bio-carbonates), causing however concern with regard to food security on a continent already suffering from famine and food shortages. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 6/9/2007 righe 38 parole 449)


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