At the Leon H. Sullivan Summit in Arusha, Tanzania World Bank Vice President, Obiageli Ezekwesili, called on African countries to expand their power generation capacity. Ezekwesili said that an increase in electricity would aid in the continent’s ability to fight poverty and its overall industrialization.
Attendees at the summit discussed alternative energies and regional power pool options as a way to increase the availability of electricity.
According to the World Bank the continent’s potential for power generation is substantial due to its abundant resources, however the infrastructure to increase power is lacking and the industry as a whole has been stagnant since the 1980s. The lack in progress to expand as its populations and industrial bases expand has led to the continent suffering from continuous power outages, the worst seen in
Ezekwesili said the Africa needs an increase its electricity capacity at a rate of 7% per year, however, this has not occurred. The World Bank, as an investor in electricity production across the continent, called on the countries represented at the summit in Arusha to come up with regional solutions to the problem.