Actions Africa must take

Actions Africa must take, to arrest further deterioration of energy situation across the continent

To arrest further deterioration of already dire state of energy generation and supply in Africa the following steps should be taken without delay:

Africa should declare energy as critical to its development and take logical steps to address the situation:

Actionable state of emergency in the energy sector implies the acknowledgment of the situation as dire and taking concrete measures or steps to address it. The steps include: to identify energy resources there are and provide a frame work to harness them.

Africa should wean itself off Aid money, and invest its own money in energy project.  Setting aside significant %age of GDP, instead of the current reliance on aid money to fund electricity generation and supply projects is the best indication that Africa is ready to take its fate into its hands. Many countries in Africa have “outsourced” development of many sectors of their economy including the energy sector to donor countries and aid agencies. Identifying electricity as critical to country’s development means assigning substantial %age of GDP for electricity generation. Countries and regions will use the money that has been set aside to initiate and if possible finish projects for electricity generation on their own dictate and time plan. Execution begin of Projects funded by donor’s money usually lags. This is due to the time required by donor agencies for project assessment prior to approval. While bilateral and multilateral sources of funding can be sought, countries should neither rely solely on donor money for electricity project. A clear case of addition to Aid-money is the example of Nigeria, a country reported to have designated 17bilion dollars for energy infrastructure development, while at the same time was prepared to wait for 330 million dollar Aid-money for West African transmission line. Instead of wait until the donors hand over a cheque for the project, a more responsible solution would be, Nigeria to foot the $300 million bill in behalf of West Africa, to enable construction to commence immediately, and then to be reimbursed later by the West Africa community.

Take concrete step to utilize its desert and solar resources for renewable energy generation.  Africa’s desert and its surroundings have been identified by European neighbor as sources for its energy security and has put plan in place to harness clean, cheap energy from Africa’s Sahara for transmission to Europe. Therefore, not only should Africa utilize its Sahara, Namib and Kalahari deserts resources, but also identify the most suitable form of CSP technology for further development.  The general consensus among observers of Africa’s development and stakeholders alike is that electricity is critical to the continent’s development, therefore for any bilateral or multilateral partnership for Africa’s development to be worth going into sustainable energy for the entire continent has to be on the table. Therefore Africa should see to it that the cooperating countries for desertec project which currently include the whole Europe, is expanded to include the whole of Africa and not just North Africa. 

Regional and Interregional cooperation on renewable energy development and transmission: This would include cooperation on research and training, Interconnection of Africa’s regions and creation of a single market  for electricity. Some modest upgrading of exiting grid for HVDC transmission of electricity from region of generation to area of consumption would be necessary.

Utilize a well balanced mix of fossil fuels and renewable energy sources: Sustainable power in Africa can be based to a great extent on utility-scale renewable energy generation from the sun, as well as energies from wind and mini and micro hydropower plants (instead of giant water dams). A well balanced mix of renewable energy sources with fossil fuel backup can provide affordable power capacity on demand throughout Africa. Stand alone energy generation and utilization in remote areas should be integral part of the mix.

Take steps to ensure Energy efficiency: Introduction of measures for efficient in the chain of supply, distribution and use of energy. 

Salient Points:

• Actions Africa must take, to arrest further deterioration of energy situation across the continent
• Ø  Africa should declare energy as critical to its development,
• Ø  take logical step and declare ‘actionable state of emergency in the energy sector’: - which means making funds available immediately to address the dire state of the energy sector by setting aside significant %age of their GDP, instead of the current reliance on aid money, to finance electricity generation and supply projects.
• Ø  Africa should take concrete step to utilize its desert and solar resources for renewable energy generation.
• Ø  Efforts towards sustainable energy on the continent should focus on regional and interregional cooperation on renewable energy development and transmission.
• Ø  Introduce energy efficiency measures: Introduction of measures for efficient supply, distribution and use of energy. 
• Ø  Use a well balanced mix of fossil fuels and renewable for sustainable electricity generation and supply.
• Ø  Provide a reliable policy framework to market for renewable energy generation and supply: Provide a reliable framework for the market introduction of existing renewable energy technologies,
• Ø  Create a visible market for renewable energy