Sub-Sahara Africa spends $10.5b annually on candles and kerosene – World Bank

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The World Bank says that countries in sub-Sahara Africa spend an estimated $10.5 billion on kerosene and candles every year.

These are low-quality and fuel-based lighting, the Bank said.

According to the World Bank, the expenditure is so because 70% of people living in Africa are not connected to a power grid. This information was published on the Bank’s website early this June 2011.

“Seventy percent of Africans are not connected to a power grid… Because of this, sub-Saharan Africa spends an estimated $10.5 billion annually on low-quality, fuel-based lighting such as kerosene and candles”, it indicated.

To solve this problem, the World Bank in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation has set up the Lighting Africa Programme.

“The Lighting Africa programme supports the development and distribution of safe, clean, affordable off-grid lighting to Africans not yet connected to a grid”, the Bank said.

Mainly working with the private sector to provide clean, affordable, and quality lighting to people without access to electricity, the program’s immediate target is to have 500,000 high-quality lanterns distributed by 2012, said the World Bank adding “Longer term, it aims to support businesses to reach 250 million people by 2030.”

According to a senior energy specialist at the World Bank’s Africa Energy unit, who is also the programme manager for Lighting Africa, Dana Rysankova, each light-emitting diodes (LED) light will save some kerosene consumption as well as save money which they can use to “buy more lights or spend on other household necessities, creating a virtuous cycle of monetary savings and improved energy service.”

By Ekow Quandzie

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