Construction World February 2020

continent still struggles to catch up with its huge infrastructure backlog. World Bank data indicates that the electricity access UDWH DFURVV WKH FRQWLQHQW KDV IRU H[DPSOH LQFUHDVHG IURP LQ WR LQ Despite the progress it still constitutes a huge backlog compared WR WKH ZRUOG DYHUDJH WKDW QRZ VWDQGV DW 7KURXJK SURJUDPV such as Power Africa, launched by US President Barack Obama in 7DQ]DQLD GXULQJ KLV WRXU WR $IULFD LQ WKH FRQWLQHQW LV KRZHYHU starting to turn the tide. Price Waterhouse Cooper estimates that E\ WKH DQQXDO H[SHQGLWXUH RQ HOHFWULFLW\ SURGXFWLRQ DQG distribution across the continent’s seven main economies would have increased to more than USD50-billion. The focus on electrical energy provision is driven by both a social and economic imperative. At a social level access to reliable sustainable electrical power has a profound impact on quality of life, improving basic health, increasing opportunities for advancing education, providing access to economic participation and in general alleviating poverty. In a modern world, from an economic perspective, reliable sustainable electrical power is also critical for development and growth of economic value across all industries. Not only is there a need for new electrical production and distribution networks across the continent, given the economic and population growth, there is also huge reinvestment required LQ XSJUDGLQJ RI H[LVWLQJ LQIUDVWUXFWXUH :RUOG %DQN GDWD IURP LQGLFDWHV WKDW VXE 6DKDUDQ $IULFD LV H[SHULHQFLQJ DQ DQQXDO XUEDQ SRSXODWLRQ JURZWK UDWH RI PRUH WKDQ GRXEOH WKH JOREDO DYHUDJH 7KLV UDSLG XUEDQLVDWLRQ JURZWK SODFHV D VWUDLQ RQ H[LVWLQJ LQIUDVWUXFWXUH WKDW LV RQ DYHUDJH DJLQJ UDSLGO\ WKURXJKRXW the continent. In order to address the challenges and capitalise on opportunities many governments across the continent are

restructuring their historic vertically integrated utilities, allowing Independent Private Producers to participate in their power markets. Countries like Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Uganda and Zambia KDYH DOO EHQHͤWHG KXJHO\ IURP ODUJH VFDOH SULYDWH LQYHVWPHQW programmes in power production and distribution systems in recent years. The continent is seeing growth in utility scale renewable energy production (mostly solar and wind), distributed small scale generation, mini/micro grid solutions, as well as large scale transmission networks. Power transmission across the continent LV QRZ ZHOO FRRUGLQDWHG WKURXJK ͤYH 5HJLRQDO 3RZHU 3RROV (COMELEC, WAPP, SAPP, EAPP, CAPP) working hard to ensure that regional power generation and consumption is matched. The power ODQGVFDSH LQ $IULFD KDV VHHQ VLJQLͤFDQW SURJUHVV RYHU WKH SDVW decade. The opportunity presented for further growth is clear. The EDODQFH EHWZHHQ VRFLDO H[SHQGLWXUH DQG LQYHVWPHQW LQ HFRQRPLF infrastructure remains a challenge for a relatively poor continent that has to carefully manage its debt levels. The key is to keep moving forward at a sustainable growth rate and capitalise on opportunities in global advancement in WHFKQRORJ\ LQ RUGHU WR PD[LPLVH V\VWHP HͦFLHQFLHV 2QH VXFK D technology gaining rapid penetration across the African continent is solar energy, both at utility and end user scale. As the African HQHUJ\ VHFWRU GHYHORSV LW ͤQGV QHZ SDWKV WR PDWXULW\ WKDW GRHV not necessarily follow the conventional ways, leapfrogging developmental steps previously deemed indispensable. Backed by rapid deployment and advances in the telecommunications industry the electricity sector is now capitalising on technological advancements and one could argue that the electricity industry in Africa will advance more rapidly in years to come, both in conventional and non-conventional ways. ƒ

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD FEBRUARY 2020