Africa can pioneer a solar revolution, says UK minister

RELIABLE solar power systems can help some of Africa’s poorest to cope with the continent’s chronic power shortages, United Kingdomís Minister of State for Africa, Grant Shapps, said in Lagos on Wednesday during a visit to Nigeria.

Speaking during a tour of solar energy facilities backed by the UK government in Lagos, Shapps called for international backing of solar energy projects to speed up access across the continent.

Shapps said: “Blackouts and costly generators are a daily reality for millions of Nigerians. Many more simply have no access to energy and rely on candles or kerosene. This is holding back an entire nation and continent from reaching its full potential.

“We simply cannot wait for full national grids to show up one day. The technology, expertise and knowledge to fix this are available and are ready to be deployed right now.

“So we’re going to harness this opportunity and get more people into this exciting energy market. Next week, I will bring together African politicians, investors and solar experts in London to kick-start our Energy Africa campaign to bring power to millions of people.”

Agreed in New York last month, the United Nationsí new Global Goals made a commitment to provide universal energy access in Africa by 2030. On the current, this will not be achieved until 2080.

Shapps also visited a Lagos health clinic run entirely by solar energy on Wednesday.

Registering 60,000 antenatal patients every year, the centre only had two hours of electricity every day before the panels were installed last year. This severely limited their ability to treat patients. Drugs could not be safely stored in refrigerators, the laboratory stopped and births at night had to rely on candles or kerosene lamps, increasing the risk of complications or ill health.