IFC and World Bank Mobilize the Global Lighting Industry to Light Africa
Rate of electrification in Africa 23% on average
500 million 'energy poor'in Africa
Lighting Africa wants reach over 250 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030
Annual expenditure of $17 bilion on fuel-based lighting in Africa
May 6th, 2008 — In Sub-Saharan Africa, 500 million people have no access to electricity and rely on kerosene lamps and candles for lighting. To bring modern off-grid alternatives – such as fluorescent light bulbs and lighting emitting diodes - to the African market, IFC and the World Bank have created the initiative Lighting Africa.
When the night falls, Fatuma Soila of Kajiado, Kenya, lights a small kerosene lamp inside her house. The lamp is really just a piece of rope dipping into kerosene. It emits a faint light which barely enables Fatuma to cook and her children to read. Toxic fumes emanate from the lamp, which make Fatuma cough and leave dark marks on her ceiling. Within the last year, the kerosene that feeds the lamp has become much more expensive.
Tonight is different, however. Tonight there is a new fluorescent light on Fatuma's table. As Fatuma turns it on, the room brightens.
"This lamp is better than the one I use, because it's got more light," says Fatuma.
The Lighting Africa initiative, as part of its market research, has placed modern lamps and flashlights in a number of households and businesses in Ghana and Kenya. The objective is to determine what are the modern off-grid lighting products best adapted to the Africa market and what the pricing should be.
Lighting Africa is a joint initiative of the World Bank and IFC. It aims to replace, with fluorescent lamps and light emitting diodes and other modern lamps, the kerosene lamps and candles currently used for lighting by millions of people in Sub-Saharan Africa who have no access to electricity.
In addition to its market research effort, Lighting Africa operates on a number of other fronts. In order to create a supply chain and effective distribution channels for modern lighting products, IFC and the World Bank are organizing the first global business conference for off-grid lighting in Africa. The conference takes place in Accra, Ghana, on May 5-8.
To promote innovation, Lighting Africa is holding a competition which will reward with US$200,000 grants the most innovative off-grid lighting solutions and business models. Winners of the competition will be announced at the conference.
Lighting Africa is also looking at the quality of lighting products exported to Africa and is currently developing quality standards.
Supporters of the initiative include the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program, the Global Environment Facility, the Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility, Good Energies Inc., the governments of Netherlands, Norway and Luxembourg, the European Commission, and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership.
With 17 billion spent each year in Africa on off-grid lighting products, the business opportunity is clear. Lighting Africa aims to highlight that opportunity and to ensure that Africa's urgent lighting needs are met in the near future.
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