Two in three Africans live in darkness- AFDB report

FELIX OLOYEDE | 

The latest report from Africa Development Bank (AFDB) has revealed that two in three Africans lack access to electricity.

This is contained in the Africa Progress Report 2015, Power People Planet: Seizing Africa’s Energy and Climate Opportunities.

The report states that financing and climate change are swinging the spotlight not only onto Africa’s needs to accelerate development and adapt to global warming, but also onto the region’s urgent energy crisis.

“Demand for modern energy is set to surge, fuelled by economic growth, demographic change and urbanisation. As the costs of low-carbon energy fall, Africa could leapfrog into a new era of power generation. Utility reform, new technologies and new business models could be as transformative in energy as the mobile phone has been in telecommunications,” it said.

The Africa Progress Report 2015 noted that renewable energy is at the forefront of the changes sweeping Africa, which is registering some of the most remarkable advances in solar, geothermal and wind power.

The report shows that the global climate moment is also Africa’s moment – Africa’s moment to lead the world.

“A “triple win” is within the region’s grasp, as renewable technologies create opportunities to increase agricultural productivity, improve resilience to climate change, and contribute to long-term reductions in dangerous carbon emissions,” it stated.