Electricity for Africa

In the last decade, words like 'load shedding' and 'power alert bulletin' have become part of our vocabulary as none of us are strangers to power outages and the continued battle to keep the lights on. This problem is not unique to South Africa and the reality is that Africa has a massive electricity problem. In Tanzania, only 14 percent of people get any electricity at all. Across sub-Saharan Africa, 590 million people lack access to power.

Speaking at the University of Cape Town, President Barack Obama announced on a recent visit to South Africa, a $7 billion initiative to bring electrical power to sub-Saharan Africa in an effort to help modernize the continent and better connect it with the rest of the world.

The plan, dubbed "Power Africa," leverages loan guarantees and private sector finance and aims to provide financial support over the next five years to bring electricity access to 20 million new households in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, and Tanzania, as well as help countries like Mozambique develop their oil and gas resources.

During the first five-year phase, the project's goal is to add more than 10 000 MW of cleaner, more efficient electricity generation capacity and to expand electricity access to households and commercial entities. General Electric is among the companies that have contributed to the $9-billion in private sector funding for the program's first phase.

Power Africa will bring together a wide range of U.S. government tools to support investment in Africa's energy sector. From policy and regulatory best practices to pre-feasibility support and capacity building to long-term financing, insurance, guarantees, credit enhancements, and technical assistance.

Experts agree that the lack of electricity is a tremendous hindrance to Africa's advancement and the investment in infrastructure is a step in the right direction. The development of this infrastructure will also aid in job creation and especially engineering firms will benefit from this.

The development and investment in infrastructure in Africa bodes well for opportunities in Engineering. Communicate Recruitment specializes in Engineering recruitment and has various vacancies including Civil Engineer jobs, Mechanical Engineer jobs, Electrical Engineer jobs, and more. Call us today.

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