By Ndumiso Mlilo
JOHANNESBURG, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Africa is prioritizing its energy generation and transmission to drive economic growth and job creation, an energy expert from the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) said here on Wednesday.
On the sidelines of the Africa Energy Indaba in Johannesburg, Professor Mosad Elmissiry, senior energy advisor of the NEPAD, said that time for talk has passed and the continent is now committed to fast tracking large-scale provision of energy.
"We want to increase people's access to energy and to make the access affordable, secure and reliable. We are focusing on massive infrastructural projects as a faster way to increase access to energy," Elmissiry said.
In January 2016, African heads of state and governments approved the Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) Energy Vision, setting energy provision as a high priority.
"Governments should play a leading role in working with unions, civil societies and private sectors to drive infrastructural projects." Elmissiry said.
The professor said this year the program is aimed to link East African and South African power pools, through Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia and connect Central and West African power pools through Kenya and Tanzania. Besides, feasibility studies have been underway to link Sudan and Ethiopia.
"At the continental level, we want to connect four power pool corridors and eventually have one massive power pool. China has been playing a crucial role in this," Elmissiry said, adding that Africa also looks forward to working with other development partners like the World Bank, Africa Development Bank, among others.
The professor said they are exploring renewable energy. "We are facilitating and implementing transmission and generation to ensure that energy is available to those who need it most, especially those in rural areas."
Elmissiry added that one of the challenges facing African countries is to have bankable renewable energy projects since priority projects have to be first identified by countries before planning and feasibility studies are conducted.
Monica Maduekwe, program coordinator of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), told Xinhua that they have some regional programs to provide energy.
She said that the group plans to improve energy provision in the region through increasing mini-grids by 2020.
"We want people to have energy, not only for lighting, but also for driving machines and boosting productivity. Governments play a central role in this regard." Maduekwe said.
Gosaye Abayneh, CEO of Ethiopia Electric Utility, said his country has made progress in having universal access to energy, adding that energy provision will assist the continent in realizing industrialization.
Africa has to balance the grid for long-term sustainability and affordability and there are a mix of solar panels, hydropower and wind in Ethiopia, he said.
The PIDA Energy Vision envisages an increase of Africa's installed power generation capacity to 700 gigawatts by 2040. Through full implementation of the program, the continent will reap savings on electricity production costs of 30 billion U.S. dollars a year through power interconnectors.
Over 600 million people in Africa have no access to electricity.
