Africa's Electricity Crisis Sustains Poverty

Once the sun goes down in Africa, about 75% of the population lives in a world of darkness. Day-to-day living conditions suffer from no electricity. Time-management is crucial because people are unable to cook or clean and simply forced to sleep. Electricity is one of the top most expensive necessities in Africa, and many residents are denied this basic staple. Typically, public facilities, such as hospitals and schools can only afford electricity for fifteen days out of the month. According to the World Bank News Broadcast, Sub-Saharan Africans use seven times less electric power than people in high income countries. Up to 250 million Africans have no easy access to electricity and are left to use kerosene lamps or burning fire.

South Africa’s energy crisis is a huge issue. The country consumes most of the electricity in the region. As a result of the shortage, the power supply has been unable to meet with growing consumption. During the winter seasons, South Africa suffered from constant blackouts due to the high demand of heater usage. Old electrical infrastructure is the main cause of the common blackouts. There are not enough modern power plants to provide electricity. Low use of energy slows down Africa’s economic growth and mitigates its ability to reach its long-term goals of poverty reduction. Africa needs more energy access, which will alleviate poverty by increasing local commerce, creating more jobs, enhancing incomes, and improving safety.

Low electrical access has turned away many foreign investors, donors, and tourists. In Tanzania, a non-profit organization from England donated computers to many school systems. Unfornately, low power hindered the students' ability to take advantage of the computers. Furthermore, Tanzania’s local power company has no desire to help provide the electricity in public schools. It has been over ten years since the company has actually visited the school system.

Today, a growing number of international groups have been involved in addressing Africa’s power shortage by providing reliable and commercial electricity. In 2007, the World Bank Group and the International Finance Corporation initiated a new project called Lightening Africa, which aims to provide more access to affordable modern lightening services. In this project, the goal is to provide more local entrepreneurs and business the chance to sell low cost, high quality lightening products. More than a dozen sponsor groups have provided funding for new affordable lightening advancements, such as compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and light emitting diodes(LEDs), which is guaranteed to provide durable, portable, and clean technology.