About 650 million Africans may lack access to electricity by 2030, delegates told at CSD4
By Yinka Adeyemi, Communication Officer, ECA
26 October 2005

Almost one-third of the estimated 1.6 billion people living without access to electricity worldwide live in Africa, Azanaw Abreha, Vice Chairperson of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), said today in Addis Ababa as African countries began to review the region''s input to the 14th session of CSD.

CSD-14 will take place in New York in May 2006 on energy, industrial development, atmosphere/air pollution, and climate change.

In his opening statement at the opening of Africa''s regional implementation meeting, Mr. Abreha said if concerted efforts were not made to improve access, 650 million people in sub-Saharan Africa would be without electricity by 2030.

“These data are not mere numbers; they represent a harsh reality,” he said, adding that Africa’s continued reliance on traditional biomass for cooking and heating meant that African women and children were being deprived of opportunities for education and productive activities.

The uneven distribution of energy resources, the trans-boundary nature of hydro energy resources of major rivers, the existence of small national markets, and the scarcity of financial resources in Africa have necessitated greater cooperation at the regional and sub-regional level, he said.

Mr. Abreha said Africa’s considerably untapped hydropower resources, particularly in Central and West Africa, could make real contribution to sustainable development in Africa if properly managed.

On climate change, he said although Africa’s per capita emissions of greenhouse gases were low, it remains highly vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change.

“Heavy reliance on rain-fed agriculture, frequent droughts and floods, low adaptive capacity due to lack of economic resources and technology place Africa’s sustainable development at risk,” said Mr. Abreha.

Earlier the Director of Sustainable Development Division, Josue Dione, called on the delegates to align their reviews with the targets agreed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development and the issues identified in the Africa Chapter of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation as they pertain to the four thematic subject matters to be reviewed.

The recommendations and issues arising from the review will guide Africa’s input to the UN Secretary General’s state of implementation report for CSD-14, said Dr. Dione.