In Ethiopia, 60 per cent of the population doesn’t have access to energy because of an archaic grid. Energy, water and food are part of a symbiotic nexus, as they are interdependent on one another. Access to reliable and modern energy sources are crucial to the development of Ethiopia, but structural deficits are compromising prime availabilities to water and food. Energy can be used to power a well, filter water, as well as for desalination.
Africa Abundant in Resources:
Africa is a land that is rich in renewable resources, which can allow for the development of a 160 GW of green energy by 2030. Much of its poverty is attributed to external manipulators and outer socio-economic faculties that have long stood to gain in internalized conflicts and widespread destitution.
But Ethiopia has tried to break the barriers that have isolated it. Recently, it became the first country in Africa that launched a plan to increase the production of renewable energy. In 2016, the Ethiopian government closed in on renewables, putting sustainable development on the radar.
New Plans, New Ethiopia:
Ethiopia’s national growth plan calls for 13,7 GW worth of new renewable capacity, which will come from hydro, geothermal, solar, biomass and wind energy. Now a grant of around $1 million has been made so that there are more private investments in renewable energy projects in Ethiopia.
The Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) initiative is aiming at strengthening the government’s ability to endeavour in hydropower projects with the required technical know-how and foresight required for them to come to light. It will be managed by the African Development Bank, in efforts of opening Ethiopia’s untouched renewable energy potentials.
The program will also boost independent producers and garner intended investment into the Ethiopian hydro power sector.
More About SEFA:
SEFA is a multi-donor facility that is aimed at unlocking private sector investments through grants, support for the public sector, and equity investments. The fund is also supported through contributions from the US, UK, and Denmark. The $995,000 grant to Ethiopia will look to support a framework for the IPPs in the country.
Projections in the UN’s World Population Prospects 2017 forecast that the African population will significantly increase by 2.3 per cent a year through 2050, reaching 2.53 billion people. This population growth will put strain on the demand for food, water and energy and as such, will require a powerful effort to ensure sustainable and shared development.
Ethiopia is yearning for more power sources because facilities like hospitals are facing power outages – a matter of life and death.
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