As African continent pushes for electricity expansion through several initiatives, the World Bank has advised against mere lighting provision ensuring supply calculated to meet economic growth.
The bank in a blog titled ‘Africa’s big push on electrification: A cautionary tale,’ the global lender said, as with many ambitious initiatives, there’s a risk of focusing too much on numbers and losing sight of what truly matters.
The report advised on the need to seize the opportunity to fix structural issues confronting African utilities, saying: “The low electrification rates in Africa are a symptom of deep-rooted issues in the energy sector.
These include, financially bankrupt utilities, excess political interference in the utility space, corruption, lack of transparency in power purchase agreements, massive technical and non-technical losses, to mention a few.
As a result, electricity provision in the region is characterized by low levels of reliability and high energy cost. “If we fail to seize the current momentum to address underlying structural challenges alongside expanding electricity access, we risk deepening the sector’s existing vulnerabilities. . Continue..Reading. .
𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗔𝘀 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽!
