World Bank praises Kenya’s strong policies on electricity
The World Bank has cited Kenya among African countries with strong policies to address the challenge of lack of power connection in homes.
The bank's survey established that 40 per cent of African countries do not have solid plans to connect the estimated 600 million people living without electricity. This makes Africa the least electrified continent in the world.
Other African counties with stronger electrification policies include Uganda, Tanzania and South Africa.
Kenya, which says about 60 per cent of her citizens are connected to power, plans to connect all her households by 2020.
"The good news now is there is a generation of African leaders in some countries who have understood that ... their economies will not grow unless they have got reliable, affordable modern power," said Rachel Kyte, head of Sustainable Energy for All, and special representative of the United Nations secretary general.
The World Bank's study – Regulatory Indicators for Sustainable Energy – was carried out as part of efforts by SEforALL, a global energy partnership, to ensure universal access to modern energy, improve energy efficiency and promote renewable power.
The bank yesterday said a range of developing countries have emerged as leaders in a global race to switch to sustainable energy by 2030, by boosting their policies to help improve people's access to reliable, affordable and clean power.