Africa should declare state of emergency on energy

In sub-Saharan Africa, where more than 600 million people still lack access to electricity, the continent would need to declare a state of emergency on the energy sector, the Managing Director of Sahara Power Group, Kola Adesina said.

According to Mr. Adesina, energy is a critical component of driving economic growth and prosperity.

The continent needs to have a common energy sector agenda that addresses the peculiarities of the various markets across the entire energy value chain, he told Ghana News Agency.

Mr. Adesina said Sahara Group would be delighted to partner with South Africa to drive the agenda, working alongside all stakeholders.

Sahara Power Group, a Nigerian-owned company and a leading international energy and infrastructure conglomerate with operations in over 38 countries across Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia, deems it important to focus on strengthening the capacity, accessibility, reliability and safety of energy in its various forms in Africa.

Officials of the conglomerate said the continent must ensure that any energy agenda adopted must have strong governance and sustainability components for continuity and longevity.

Huge investment in technology would be required to expand the energy mix to include more modern renewable energy sources.

Supportive legislation, environmental consideration, safety and the sustainable development goals must be well articulated in the agenda, the group said, adding that transparency and the creation of a level playing field are also factors to be considered as “we would be looking at applicability across markets with different capacities.”

Industry experts say meeting current and future energy demand remains a major challenge in all African countries with the continent’s population expected to hit 2.3 billion people by 2050.