With over 600 million Africans estimated not to have access to electricity in their homes, there is a call for countries on the continent to engage in energy trading in order to address electricity shortages and stimulate economic growth. 💡
Sierra Leoneans have 15 to 20% access to electricity, according to Dr Kandeh Yumkella.
This was the call made by various panelists on Tuesday at the three-day Africa Energy Indaba, taking place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre this week.Dr Kandeh Yumkella, an economist and a Sierra Leonean parliamentarian, said electricity shortages – particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa – were a stumbling block for economic development, with West Africa being one of the worst energy deficit regions on the continent.
He was speaking at a panel discussion on African energy and policies for growth that included Central Energy Fund group CEO Dr Ishmael Poolo, Malawi’s Minister of Energy Ibrahim Matola and Francois van Schalkwyk from the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board.To tackle the challenge of electricity shortages, Yumkella said most countries in West Africa were focusing on renewable energy and deregulating their energy sector to bring in more private players.
Yumkella said energy transmission should be more than about decarbonisation or a low-emission global economy. Poolo said investment in renewable energy could be done through focusing on research and development.
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