UNDP laments energy technology blocks

Goal is to make sustainable energy a reality for all in Africa by 2030

The head of the United Nations Development Programme's office in China has told a forum that considerable efforts are still needed to address regulatory barriers that hinder the effective technology transfer of sustainable energy technology from China to Africa.

Alain Noudehor, the UN resident coordinator and UNDP representative in China, raised the issue during a discussion on African access to sustainable energy at the annual Eco-Forum Global Conference.

The event, held in the Chinese southwestern city of Guiyang, was aimed at creating an international platform to promote sustainable development and green energy.

Noudehor said that if the barriers to technology transfer remained, particularly in Ghana and Zambia, "all our efforts will have very limited impact".

There was already a lack of knowledge, and unsubstantiated perceptions regarding sustainable energy in the two countries, even without the existing regulatory barriers in place.

The UN launched its Sustainable Energy for All initiative in 2011 to bring together top-level leadership from all sectors of society to make sustainable energy a reality for all by 2030.

The initiative is expected to double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency and the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

Noudehor said more than 1.2 billion people have no access to electricity, and 2.8 billion rely on wood or other types of biomass for cooking and heating.

"This problem creates a substantial barrier that halts progress toward eradicating poverty", he said, adding that sustainable sources of energy are vital for a country's ability to achieve its developmental goals.

Using Zambia as an example, Noudehor explained that while the country's capital, Lusaka, enjoyed about 80 per cent electrification, other cities still had less than 50 per cent coverage.

He said the coverage was even lower in rural areas, where most of the population still lives, with only 3 percent connected to the national grid.

Access to electricity is a key driver of sustainable development, Noudehor said.

"Decent sources of electricity stimulate local economic activities, including the establishment of businesses and the creation of employment", he said.

For China Daily

(China Daily Africa Weekly 09/05/2014 page3)