After all, electricity powers not only industrial development, but social and economic progress more broadly. In developing countries, it is a key factor in helping to lift families and communities out of poverty. Yet 58% of Africans lack access to electricity, as do large numbers of people throughout the developing world. The new international initiative, called the "Electrification Roadmap," grew out of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's focus on the importance of energy supplies for achieving the MDGs, as well as from his initiative "Sustainable Energy for All" (SE4ALL), and was officially launched at the Rio+20 conference on sustainable development in June 2012.
As discussions there showed, these issues are receiving increased international attention and funding from governments, business, non-governmental organisations, and development finance institutions.Eskom's role is one of leadership and support.
We have electrified more than four million households through a focused effort over a short period - an effort that has featured prominently in discussions held by the UN Secretary-General's advisory council on sustainable energy, and that has drawn interest from other developing countries. The idea is to leverage our capabilities, specifically our experience and expertise, to assist others in their own electrification efforts.An Electrification Roadmap implementation program is being developed in Sub-Saharan Africa, where we will facilitate the consolidation of national electrification plans in the Southern Africa Development Community by helping to finalise these plans where necessary, as well as to secure the resources needed to accelerate implementation.
