Imagine living in a world without illumination, where the onset of dusk means total darkness and an end to all meaningful activity. A world where children have to wake up in the dark and early hours of the morning to look for firewood, while the slightly older ones have to go out with buckets to fetch water at a river several miles away. Lately, in urban areas, water cuts force people to form long queues at local boreholes dug by well-wishers. This may sound like something out of the stone age, but these are lived realities in most African countries. Africa’s energy deficits strengthen poverty and the most affected are girls, women and people in rural areas.
Without any access to clean energy sources, a substantial number of the continent’s population is forced to use biomass energy in the form of charcoal and firewood. Unprecedented levels of deforestation paint a grim picture for the African natural environment. However, the advent of renewable energy is a promising alternative and environmentally sustainable energy source. The buck lies squarely with Southern African Development Community (SADC) governments to provide impetus for swift renewable energy rollout, through practical policy interventions and the creation of enabling investment climates.
A regional overview
South Africa, through Eskom Holdings, remains the biggest power supplier to a number of countries in the SADC region. Most SADC states rely on Eskom Holdings to supply a substantial proportion of their baseload needs.
