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Making Africa’s power sector sustainable

2pm, July 31st, 2015

This study, Making Africa’s power sector sustainable, assesses the socio-economic and environmental impacts of power sector reforms, especially on the poor, and uses the results of the assessment to determine the extent to which reforms have made the power sector in sub-Saharan Africa sustainable. Furthermore, it proposes options that could enhance the sustainability of the power sector.

The study adds value to the limited but growing literature on power sector reforms in sub-Saharan Africa. While past studies have mainly assessed the status and outcomes of power sector reforms, this study adds value by assessing whether the reforms taking place are sustainable. Moreover, the study is one of the very few that have attempted to incorporate environmental concerns within the context of power sector reforms.

In particular, the study assesses the implementation of the process of power sector reforms in fourteen sub-Saharan Africa countries (Kenya, Zimbabwe, Senegal, Tanzania, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Zambia, Eritrea, Namibia, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Niger and Uganda). It then proposes options that could enhance the sustainability of the power sector.

In addressing the study’s broad objectives, it focused on four specific objectives:

  • the assessment of socio-economic and environmental impacts of past and current initiatives in the power sector;
  • assessing the gaps in the legal and institutional framework of past power sector reform initiatives;
  • demonstrating how to integrate environmental and socio-economic issues in power sector reforms and
  • raising awareness among policy-makers on strategies to improve the sustainability of the power sector in Africa.

Read Making Africa’s power sector sustainable.

Institutions Involved

  • UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the UN Environment Program (UNEP)
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