Leaders of more than half of African countries have committed the greatest spending on electricity production in the history of Africa in Dar es Salaam, a large seaside metropolis in Tanzania this week.
The World Bank, African Development Bank and others promise at least $ 35 billion to expand electricity in a continent that more than half a billion people are still in electricity. About half of the money will go to the Sun “Minigrids”, which serve separate communities. Loans will be given with low interest rates, this is an important condition, because global lenders are usually higher rates in Africa by bringing higher risks.
In the interview, the President of the World Bank Ajay Banga took the initiative in a large sense of economic development with public stability and basic human rights. “We can't gain work, health, skills without electricity,” he said. According to him, the success of electrification “forms the basis of everything.”
The Summit's promise is to provide half of Africa's 600 million in electricity and energy over 6 years. This means averaged five million people per month. Mr Banga said that the World Bank did not even pass a million indicators per month.
Despite the statements of abnormally strong political will, many people, especially in the siege of the siege of Africa, deep skepticism was expressed. In fact, some noted that the host country to find a warning tale is not necessary to look away from Tanzania.
Recently, the world's largest solar minigritmen, the Husk Power Systems, located in Colorado, because the government insisted on sale of its electricity to the same price by the government.
Husk, who could not earn money at this price, said that the company sold its assets that spend millions of dollars in a great loss. Some remain intact but do not operate. Others are demolished and sold for spare parts.
Although Tanzania seemed to be the ideal market for Husk when he came to Husk in 2015. The new President of the country John Maqufuli won the nickname Bulldozer for the construction of roads and prevent corruption. Only one-third of the Tanzanians joined the network.
Husk's march was powerless and disappointed, because they were willing to pay higher prices for Husk. Among them Mwajuma Mohamed and his family have a Matipwili community, where about 200 homes and enterprises have received energy from the Solar Minignrid, which has been in dust in a short time.
Showing a guest around the dark house, “We were usually ordinary people when we had electricity,” he said. He said the first thing he received was a TV in the box. “This is an injustice. It feels that we spend money in vain. “
Tanzania's energy minister Doto Biteko Husk, in an interview with the name of Nogan, some minigrid operators have applied artificially high prices, and this has resulted in inflation. “We do not try to have a hard time with anyone.” “But deciding what is reasonable is the government's role.”
Lenders try to solve this problem. Loans from the World Bank and the African Development Bank this week, in many cases depend on the overhaul of regulations that allow private electricity providers to compete with state utilities. Tanzania is one of 12 countries signing “compact” in the summit. Another 18 people are expected to be in the coming months.
In addition to the solar mini-networks, it will allocate almost equal amount of money on the expansion of traditional hydropower and residual fuel.
However, this is a sharp reduction in solar energy production due to China's failure growth as a manufacturer Cheap, high-quality solar panels, it will be a factor of the mission's main opportunity. Solar energy was not only more accessible, but also requires less time to build a dam or a power plant and the release of greenhouse gases has additional advantages.
“This is technology and price. Therefore, this is finally, now, “said Raj Shah, who led the Rockefeller Foundation, which invested ten million in the developed worldwide energy projects. “The reason for about 30 heads of state is here, now it is the fastest and most common way to create jobs and prevent non-stability in their country.
After closed the minigrick in Husk Matipwili, the village came to the village of power-bearing poles from Tanesko. Customers say they serve a total of a total and the service is low. With all four African power utility companies, Tanzania also works with serious losses and does not provide maintenance of maintenance.
Village chairman Gesenda Gesenda, who used the drinks sold to store the refrigerator, “We could use a package for the price established by Husk and use them as much as we want, so people like me have started.” “According to Tanesco, it cost me three times for the same power. Either my meter rises or rises, or electric hours, and even in days. “
Experience in Matipwili explains why lenders have gone more and more preferred to undermined electrification. “It is not helpful to expand its expansion in many places where we do not currently have the network, and at least it is not useful for the latest users compared to solar energy mini-network,” said the Ashvin Rockefeller Foundation's strength and climate program.
The traditions of the mission say that the governments clearly say that the money could not solve the problem alone and regulations can attract more than $ 35 billion this week.
Mr. Banga described the participation Climate and energy summit He met with a group of African leaders in Kenya last year. “I told them that children want to be in your work for a few more years? You have to promise the quality of work and life. I can help you but you have to get up. '”
Multilateral financing is never 100 percent provided and not only due to the concerns about helping countries. In Washington, the new administration, which is obvious to both renewable energy and foreign assistance, is simply the United States is the largest contribution to the world bank and which has a great impact on the world's management . Currently, the Bank has enough money to finance the electrification mission in the development of development aid, due to the last minute decisions by the Biden administration.
Mr. Banga was careful about the chance to achieve electrification purposes in such a short period of time, but he hoped that the investments in the Darus-Salam will encourage private equity, sovereign funds and local banks to follow them.
“It's a big mountain to get up. You simply can not decide, “said Billia Brent, General Director of Husk Marketing. “Husk builds a minigridge a day, and this is the fastest of the industry. Even if you add 10 more shells, you will still get just a portion of the road. “
Husk set up 70 minigrid in Nigeria, where the reception environment found. And Monday, he said he would enter the Democratic Republic of Congo this year.
While lending and the presidents rubbed their shoulders in Darus-greetings, the Congo also reminded the variability that threatens progress. Rebels supported by Rwanda The Congo took the city of Goma There were some of the same financiers that support new initiative on Monday supported the Minigrid project.
The cities collapse, governments refuse commitments and debts are collected. Lenders know that they are still struggling with the same basic problems that have already invested so limited to the African infrastructure and make many countries economically difficult.
However, the shortage of electricity is more than just a drag for the economies. In a world where more than 90 percent of people are not electricity, this is a drag.
This means that there is no internet, there is no dynamic to play music, there is no cold beer from the refrigerator, there is no homework for children.
When Husk Matipwili came, the 45-year-old Mashavu, who was the mother of eight children, was excited for one of the best prices in the village secondary school. He imagined that he was reading until the late hours.
He fell to the third place because they lost electricity. Ms. Ali now leases the small solar panel in the roof of about 20 cents a day, but its light is weak and does not work in cloudy days without battery to maintain energy. They sleep immediately after sunsetting children. And he left his dreams on how he could support them with a little power.
“My plan was to open an ice cream business,” Ali Ms. Ali said in the edge of his house and said surrounded by his family. The weather has already been darkened and an open lamp working on a rented panel began to blink. “What to say, huh? It remains as an idea. “