The UK government has unveiled an initiative to boost the uptake of household solar installations in Africa.
International Development Minister Grant Shapps said the Energy Africa campaign will drive a fundamental shift in the household solar market in sub-Saharan Africa, where currently around two out of three people do not have access to electricity. It will help bring universal energy access in the continent forward from the year 2080 to 2030.
Energy Africa will take on the inefficient markets, policy barriers and under-investment which mean that Africans pay as much as 66 times more for their electricity than someone in the UK. It aims to do this by removing policy and regulatory barriers to market expansion, and better co-ordinating donor support to the sector as a whole.
14 target countries have been identified for agreements that will set out policy actions, particular to each country, to improve market conditions alongside the co-ordinated support needed to deliver on these.
The campaign will involve key stakeholders including African governments, donors, investors and lenders, industry, NGOs and the public.