‘AFRICA MUST PUSH ENERGY FACTOR AT DAVOS’

WE will need to make a strong case towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through more access to energy in Africa at the 2018 World Economic Forum annual gathering in Switzerland, Sahara Energy Group.

Executive director and cofounder for the group, Tonye Cole, who will form part of the continent’s private sector leadership delegation to the summit, said the world was in urgent need of a more coordinated level of shared expertise, resources and influences to forge ahead on key developmental fronts.

Mr. Cole said it was in the interest of all humanity to cooperate on the SDGs, especially in Africa where the world believed access to energy held the key to achieving the 17 goals by the 2030 target.

“Access to energy is crucial not only for the attainment of health and education outcomes, but also for reducing the cost of doing business and for unlocking economic potential and creating jobs. Significant impediments to improving the power situation still prevail. Governments have been known to intervene to set electricity tariffs.

“These tariffs are seldom cost reflective thus affecting the viability of the sector. Also, there is a gaping deficit of indigenous human resources in SSAs power sector as the region relies on imported skill and talent for the execution, operation and maintenance of power projects,” Mr. Cole said.

He said the continent required more support for ongoing regional pool activity that was gaining traction through bilateral agreements existing between some West African and East African countries.

“With other similar initiatives, providers will no longer be restricted to markets within their country borders. This is probably the most effective way of enhancing access to energy but again, it would require strong political will and huge funding that can only be achieved by global collaboration,” he added.

Mr. Cole however said there were credible prospects for upward trends in access to energy in Africa and that such were evident via continuing privatisation and unbundling of power assets, emergence of more decentralised power models and growth in power demand across the continent.

An African Development Bank Group report has found that a majority of countries in Sub –Saharan Africa have average grid electricity access of around 23 percent of the population.

This leaves over 640 million people in the region without access to grid electricity. Some of the highest electricity supply deficits which exist in the region include Nigeria at 90 percent, Ethiopia at 70 percent, and DRC at 60 percent.