Friday 23 October 2015

UK launches campaign to boost solar in Africa

The UK Government has launched a campaign to boost solar in Africa.

The Energy Africa campaign will accelerate the delivery of solar systems to households across the continent.

It will also help increase investment in off-grid energy firms, overcome regulatory barriers and foster innovation.

The campaign, which involves stakeholders including African governments, donors, investors and NGOs, aims to help the continent achieve a reliable electricity supply and access by 2030.

Around 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are currently without electricity access – 70% of the population, according to the campaign.

Grant Shapps, UK Minister of State at the Department for International Development said: "It is shocking that around two out of three of the African population have no electricity in their homes. This not only holds back individuals but entire nations. It prevents businesses from trading and holds back economic growth – indeed outages cost African countries 1-2% of their annual GDP.

"I have seen for myself how people’s lives can be transformed with the installation of a simple solar panel system. The technology is there – all we have to do is remove the barriers stifling the market."