24 IEEE power & energy magazine july/august 20051540-7977/05/$20.00©2005 IEEE

TTHE PAST 20 YEARS HAVE SEEN A CONCERTED EFFORT BY AFRICANcountries to formulate strategies to address the continent’s social economic crisis anddevelopmental challenges. The last century has demonstrated that every facet ofhuman development is woven around a sound and stable energy supply regime. Thenew partnership for Africa’s development is a bold initiative by African leadersbased on a shared vision and commitment to reform. There are various efforts cur-rently underway and being planned throughout the continent in the electric powersector, including strategies towards the phased development of an integratedAfrican grid.

The worldwide gross installed power generation capacity has increased from 3,000GW in 2000 to about 3,750 GW presently and is projected to reach 6,000 GW by theyear 2020. The major part of this increase is taking place in developing countries. Outof a US$150 billion investment by the private sector between 1990 and 1999, less than2% went to Africa; 40% went to Latin America and the Caribbean region while 36% wentto East Asia and the Pacific region.

Africa in a World ContextAfrica, with about 13% of world population, accounts for about 2% of world economic output.Real gross domestic product (GDP) in Africa as a share of the world total has remained constantsince 1970 at about 2% and is projected to remain around 2% through 2020. Africa’s populationhas increased sharply from 364 million in 1970 to nearly 800million in 1999, and is expected to increase further to 1.3 bil-lion, by 2020. As a share of the world total, Africa has increasedfrom around 10% in 1970 to more than 13% in 1999 and isexpected to grow further to more than 17% by 2020.

Over the last 20 years, there have been notable trends thathave brought tremendous changes to the world such as global-ization, computerization (automation and integration), theadvent of the information superhighway, a shift from analog to100% digital technology, micromilitarization, super learning(and distance learning), e-commerce, changing markets, new communication technologies (andmultimedia), bringing an avalanche of new goods and different products in the marketplace.These global trends and technological advances have had an impact on Africa, putting pressureon governments to reform and invest in rapid infrastructure development. The New Partnershipfor Africa’s Development (NEPAD) was established on 23 October 2001 in Abuja, Nigeria,based on a common vision by all African leaders to overcome poverty; promote democracy,human rights, and economic and political integration; sustain economic development; andensure peace and security. This task, while daunting, represents a much-needed paradigm shiftas it enables governments to examine the full range of issues involved in such an undertaking,from technical and economic development to environmental protection and geopolitical issues.

july/august 2005 IEEE power & energy magazine

Africa’s Power InfrastructureThe organization of society, national, and social security are dependent on the availabili-

ty of energy supplies. Indeed, electricity is the engine of economic growth and devel-opment. There is a strong correlation among the per capita gross national product

(GNP), per capita energy consumption, and the standard of living of any society. Itis evident that every facet of a nation’s modern development is woven around a

sound and stable power supply regime. Table 1 shows the world’s net electricitygeneration in 2000. Africa has the lowest energy per capita in the world, mak-

ing energy poverty the root cause of underdevelopment in the continent. The International Energy Agency figures estimate

more than US$250 billion of additional investment inpower generation, transmission, and distribution net-

works from 2001 to 2030 will be required in Africa toensure universal electricity access there. Africa’s current

power generation capacity is around 103 GW. The transmis-sion and distribution (T&D) networks in many countries are

weak and overstressed. There is a need for urgent investment inT&D system strengthening and expansion. The regional generation

portfolio profile is shown in Table 2.In Africa, electricity demand exceeds supply. With a population of 805

million (690 million in sub-Sahara), only 10% are grid-connected (urbandwellers), and over 90% are not served (rural) or nongrid-connected. There iswidespread use of small-scale on-site distribution or embedded generators atlow voltage. These generators (mainly diesel or furnace oil-fired) supplypower to local industries and, in a number of cases, communities/housingestates attached to them through indigenous private distribution networks.Continental Africans spend 12% of their income on energy, compared withan average of just 2% in Organization for Economic Cooperation and

Development (OECD) countries, thus making industrial production costly. TheWorld Bank Report estimates more than 90% of the 650 million people (rural and

urban poor) in sub-Saharan Africa utilize wood, waste, dung, candles, and kerosene(paraffin) for energy supply.

Since Africa uses about 3% of the world’s electricity but accounts for 13.4% of thepopulation and 15% of land area, it isn’t surprising it has only 2% of the world’s indus-

trial capacity and a per capita income which is 15% of global average. The largest consumerof electricity is the mining sector. South Africa, the most electrified African country, is 70%

grid-connected, 30% nongrid or not served. In Nigeria, easily the largest electricity market witha population of over 126.9 million people, less than 40% of them have access to electricity.

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Electricity is vital for social development and economicgrowth. Under the NEPAD/AU (African Union) mandate,African governments are under pressure to raise funds to bal-ance budget; pay massive foreign debt; fund infrastructuredevelopment, social services, and job creation; and prosecuteeconomic reform. Recent reports show that while Britain hasthe presidency of the G8 and the European Union, a concert-ed effort towards debt relief to poor African countries is in thecards. The report says extra aid and more generous debt reliefshould be used to fund

✔ US$20 billion a year investment in infrastructure✔ US$10–20 billion a year on health systems✔ US$7–8 billion a year to fund basic education✔ US$5 billion over 10 years for higher education✔ US$3 billion over 10 years to help bridge Africa’s

technology gap✔ US$10 billion a year to tackle AIDS within five years.

The African Power GridHistorically, African electric utilities were state ownedand operated as integrated companies, performing the roleof generation, transmission, and distribution. Policy for-mulation, administration, and regulation were often car-ried out by one government ministry, with uniformnational electricity tariffs applied for consumers with thesame load profile. A combination of several factors suchas poor technical and financial performance of thesestate-owned utilizes, contestable market theory, challengeof macroeconomic stability, advances in new generation,e.g., gas turbine (GT), combined-cycle gas turbine(CCGT), and transmission technologies, have led to thecontinued unbundling, liberalization, and privatization ofthese assets, including management and regulation. A keystrategy of NEPAD is the development of regional elec-

tricity markets. Enforcing one ofthe stated goals of NEPAD tostrengthen international cooper-ation can have tremendous bene-fi ts by incorporating globallessons in system planning. Thecharacteristics of the markets ofCalifornia, Brazil, and Chileunder deregulation are sited ascase studies for further examina-tion as they have introducednew trade and operating para-digms and are experiencingsevere economic and technicalchallenges in recent years. Thesame holds true for countriesthat represent the South-Southaxis such as Brazil, India andChina as well as a North-Southrelationship with the newlyformed European Union.

The challenging socioeconomic conditions on the conti-nent would suggest the need for a “Marshall Plan” for energy,such as an integrated African grid, which has been espousedby the leaders of NEPAD, the AU, and is now a subject ofdebate and research by leading equipment manufacturers andinternational societies such as the International Practices Sub-committee (IPSC) of the IEEE. In particular, Brazil with aninstalled capacity of 88% hydro would yield a very strategicknowledge transfer stemming its experience with a massiveenergy development program undertaken in the early 1980sand the challenges of operating under the new market regula-tions of the 1990s. The geographic similarities of SouthAmerican river systems make it important for the planninginitiatives around the Inga, Zambezi, and Nile basin projects.

26 IEEE power & energy magazine july/august 2005

Region Fossil Fuel Hydro Nuclear Renewable Total

North America 2,997.1 657.6 830.4 99 4,584Central and South America 204.1 545 10.9 17.4 777.4Western Europe 1,365.4 557.5 894.4 74.8 2,847.1Eastern Europe 1,043.7 253.5 265.7 3.9 1,566.9Middle East 425.3 13.8 0 0 439.1Africa 333.7 69.8 13 0.4 416.9Asia and Oceania 2,949.2 528.7 464.7 43.1 3,985.7World Total 9,318.4 2,625.8 2,434.2 238.7 14,617

table 1. 2000 world net electricity generation (billion kWh).

Region MW % GWh production %

West Africa 9,498 10.01 21,190 6.26Southern Africa 50,007 52.70 197,481 58.34North Africa 28,905 30.46 101,688 30.04East Africa 2,875 3.03 10,083 2.98Central Africa 3,454 3.64 7,696 2.27Total 94,898 100 338,485 100

table 2. Africa’s electric power generation capacity.

figure 1. Power exchange and markets for an African grid.

Planned InterconnectionMajor Network

Spain

Africa

EuropeJordan

IsraelIraq

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This knowledge transfer cansupport the models already inuse for planning and humanresources development in thevarious regional pools dis-cussed in this article. Figure 1shows existing and plannedinterconnections across Africancountries and regional pools.

Regional Power PoolDevelopmentThe objectives of regionalenergy integration are to pro-mote energy trading amongmember states, export powerto other regions experiencingenergy shortfalls, invest inleast-cost power plants, andprovide reliable and afford-able electricity to consumers.The current developmentalfocus on regional power poolsis quite relevant as it shouldresolve regional issues ofright-of-ways and equipmentstandardization as examplesbefore embarking on a conti-nent wide grid. Studies com-pleted to date, notably with along-term planning model byPurdue University funded by the U.S. Department of Ener-gy (DOE), allows regional planners to identify the best useof generation resources and T&D resources. Analyticalresults from the models have already demonstrated thehigh value of relaxing national autonomy constraints infavor of regional trade. Africa’s five regional pools are:North Africa (NAPP), West Africa (WAPP), Central Africa(CAPP), East Africa (EAPP), and Southern Africa(SAPP); see Figure 2.

North African Power Pool (NAPP)The Maghreb Electricity Energy Association was formedin 1975 and expanded in 1989 and 1995 to now compriseAlgeria, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Mauritania, Morocco.Energy trading takes place between Algeria and Morocco,Egypt and Libya, and Tunisia and Algeria. Egypt exportselectricity and gas to Jordan and in recent developments,wheels power through Jordan to western Iraq in the wakeof the conflict in Iraq. Reform in this region has been aslow process. In Morocco, there is an independent powerproducer (IPP) in addition to private and public distribu-tors. Egypt on the other hand has 98 pieces of legislationon unbundling which have yet to be implemented, includ-ing an operational IPP. In Algeria and Tunisia, IPP is

allowed but reform is yet to be discussed. The develop-ment of IPP is mainly fueled by oil and gas resourcesbeing available there. In total, the region “lags consider-ably behind other developing regions,” as stated in a 1999World Bank study covering 115 countries.

West African Power Pool (WAPP)The WAPP, which had been under discussion for nearly 20years, was formalized in 1999 by the 14 West African coun-tries already affiliated through ECOWAS (Economic Com-munity of West African States), namely Nigeria, Ghana, CoteD’Ivoire, Senegal, Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso, Mali, Gambia,Niger, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.Pool studies supported by the U.S. Agency for InternationalDevelopment (USAID) with technical assistance throughPurdue University have assisted in advancing its implementa-tion. The process of reform is underway in all the countries,with laws adopted or under consideration.

The model widely used is a combination of privatizationof the operation of electric utilities through contract man-agement or long-term concession agreement. This is oftenassociated with the opening of the generation business tothe private sector and progressive functional unbundling.Vertical and horizontal de-integration is planned in Nigeria

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figure 2. Africa’s regional power pools: NAPP, WAPP, CAPP, EAPP, and SAPP. (Source:Power Africa 2004, South Africa.)

South Atlantic Ocean

Indian Ocean

North Atlantic Ocean

Western Sahara

MauritaniaCape Verde

Senegal Gambia

Mali

Ghana

LogoB

enin

Liberia

Ivory Coast

Burkina Faso

GuineaBissauGuinea

Sierra Leone

Algeria

Morocco Tunisia

Mediterranean Sea

Suez Canai

EgyptLibya

Niger

Central African Republic

Nigeria

Congo

AngolaZambia

Zimbabwe

Dem. Rep. Congo

Namibia

Botswana

South AfricaDesbtho

Suaziland

Mozambique

GabonSao Tome

and Princlpe

Equitorial Guinea

Cameroon

ChadSudan

Red Sea

Eritrea

Djibouti

Ethiopia

Uganda

Kenya

Tanzania

Surundi

Rwanda

Somalia

Seychelles

Comoros

Matawi

Mayotte

MadagascarMauritius

Reunion

Gulf of Aden

and Ghana, respectively, and Nigeria recently signed intolaw the unbundling of the entire industry. Regulators areoperational in eight countries, while the process is at differ-ent stages of development in the others. IPPs are in opera-tion in Cote d’ Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, and Togo. Asubsidiary of Eskom (South African Utility) is operating theManantali Dam and the interconnection network betweenSenegal, Mali, and Mauritania (Figure 3). WAPP promotes

energy trading between countries and incorporates the WestAfrican Gas Pipe project (WAGP). In November 2004, thedownstream sector of the oil and gas industry in Nigeriareceived a major boost with the World Bank approval of aUS$125 million guarantee for the WAGP project. The proj-ect involves pipeline transportation of natural gas fromNigeria to three other African countries, namely: Ghana,Togo, and Benin Republic. The pipeline is expected tostretch over 678 km. The project promoters are the NigerianNational Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Shell Develop-ment Corporation, and Chevron Nigeria Limited. The esti-mated cost of the project is US$590 million. Nigeria has agas reserve of about 185 trillion ft3 with a productioncapacity that can last for 120 years, which is twice the size

of its oil reserves. It is expected that by 2008, the Nigeriangovernment will have achieved its objective of eliminatinggas flaring and also earn revenue from the export. This pro-vides an ample resource for industrial manufacture, process-ing, and power generation.

Central African Power Pool (CAPP)CAPP was created in 2003 and a project secretariat has been

established in Libreville,Gabon. A regional masterplan study financed by theAfrican Development Bank(ADB) is due to commenceunder the auspices of the Eco-nomic Community of CentralAfrican States, comprisingCameroon, Chad, CongoBrazzaville, EquatorialGuinea, Gabon, Sao Tomeand Principe, and the Democ-ratic Republic of Congo(DRC). Energy trading takesplace across some countries.The process of reform is inprogress in some countries inthis region. Laws on reformhave been adopted inCameroon and Gabon, whilethe privatization of the formerpublic utility and setting up ofa regulator are on course.

East African Power Pool (EAPP)The EAPP follows the general boundaries of East Africaand comprises Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya,Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. No for-mal power pool exists in the region, and Tanzania is also amember of SAPP. The process of reform is underway insome countries with laws adopted in Uganda, Ethiopia, andKenya. The unbundling of the electricity industry is takingplace in Uganda, while Kenya has restructured and set up aregulator, and energy trading is taking place. It is signifi-cant to mention that the Nile Basin Regional Power tradeProject was established in 2003, with a project office inDar es Salaam. There are two objectives of this project.The first is to establish a power forum to support continued

28 IEEE power & energy magazine july/august 2005

figure 3. WAPP shows significant interconnections in Zone A. (Source: Nigeria PowerSector Reform, NEPA, Nigeria.)

Every facet of human development is woven around a sound and stable energy supply regime

Existing InterconnectionProposed InterconnectionOngoing Interconnection

Zone B Zone A

Niger

Nigeria

Ivory CoastLiberia

Togo To Inga Dam (DRC)

via Cameroon

Mali

Guinea

Senegal

Gambia

Guinea Bissau

Sierra Leone

Ghana Benin

Burkina Faso

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discourse and promote power trade among Nile Basincountries through the development of an institutional andmanagement framework as well as planning and manage-ment tools. The second objective is to carry out a compre-hensive regional analysis of long-term power supply,demand, and trade opportunities in order to inform theplanning of multipurpose river basin management in theSubsidiary Action Programs of the Nile Basin Initiative.

Southern African Power Pool (SAPP)The formation of SAPP in 1995 through a memorandum ofunderstanding (MOU) between 12 utilities from the South-ern African region represented a significant step forward in techno-economic terms, a step beyond bilateral agreementsbetween several African states throughout the continent.The SAPP members are: SNEL (Democratic Republic ofCongo), TANESCO (Tanzania), ESCOM (Malawi), SEB(Swaziland), ENE (Angola), NAMPOWER (Namibia),ZESCO (Zambia), BPC(Botswana), ZESA (Zim-babwe), EdM (Mozam-bique), ESKOM (SouthAfrica), and LEC (Lesotho).The establishment of SAPPand its planned evolutionfrom a loose pool to atighter pool with the intro-duction of the spot market isacting as a catalyst for thereform process in the region.Energy trading betweencountries takes place exten-sively in this region, andnew investment require-ments are being driven by apossible shortage of elec-tricity in 2007. The regionmarks a significant movetowards unbundling andcommercialization. In SAPPcountries, electricity lawshave been adopted or areunder consideration. Regu-lators are operational inNamibia, Malawi, SouthAfrica, and Zambia. Regu-lators are expected inLesotho, Mozambique, Tan-zania, and Zimbabwe. IPPsexist and operate at aregional level with a region-al regulatory association(RERA). See Figure 4 for amap of existing and plannedSAPP interconnections.

Power Exchange and MarketsCross-border interconnections and power exchangebegan in Africa in the early 1950s when Algeria andTunisia first linked their electricity networks to exchangepower in emergency cases. This was followed by aninterconnection between the former Congo Belge (DRC)and Zambia. The following decades saw many otherhydropower projects completed and commissioned.These include Akosombo, Kainji, Owens Falls, Kariba,Inga, and Manantali. Power trade was limited to bilateralexchange and emergency support. The rationale behindregional power trade is that it allows for the pooling ofenergy resources and skills with the capacity for optimaland sustainable use of complementary energy resources,the development of a critical electricity market base withquality business opportunities, lower electricity servicecosts, improved access and economic competitiveness,poverty alleviation, and better reliability.

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Major Existing LinesMajor Proposed or Possible Power Lines

Lesotho

Swaziland

Apollo SubsGabarone

Botswana

Zimbabwe

Mozambique

Malawi

Kolwezi

Capanda

ZaireCongo

GabonRwanda

Tanzania

Burundi

UgandaKenya

Inga

Windhoek

Namibia

Ruacana

Matala

Zambia

Angola

Republic of South Africa

figure 4. SAPP showing existing and planned interconnections. (Source: Eksom, SouthAfrica.)

A short-term energy market (STEM) was created in 2001and a study is ongoing for the establishment of a spot marketin SAPP. The pool aims to promote reliability and economyby integrating planning and operation of power networks inthe region. A Coordination Center (CC) has been establishedin Harare as a focal point for the coordination of SAPP activi-ties. The CC is in charge of the management of the short-termenergy market. SAPP is successfully transitioning from acooperative pool (bilateral trading) to a more generic andorderly competitive power market.

Africa’s Critical PowerBases and Major ProjectsThere are a number of power sectorrelated projects to build supply capacityand interconnectivity in various pools. Anumber of these are shown in Table 3.

Although not an implementationagency, NEPAD plays a critical role offacilitation and advocacy with itsstrategic continental development ini-tiative. Priority has been given to ener-gy sector development and a criticalmass (103 GW electricity industry) forfund solicitation from internationalmultilateral institutions. This reducesinvestment risk and enhances asset pro-tection, which is a vehicle for promot-ing foreign direct investment (FDI) intoAfrica. These efforts have begun toyield results with the World Bank

approval of funding for the fol-lowing projects: Southern AfricaPower Market Project (US$452million); Southern AfricaRegional Gas Project (US$721million); African DevelopmentBank approval of funding forpower interconnections (Nigeria-Togo-Benin and Algeria-Morocco-Spain); and T&D networkstrengthening in Kenya at a costof US$43.8 million funded by theWorld Bank.

With an ultimate goal of anIntegrated African Power Grid,NEPAD’s high priority is todevelop the respective regionsthrough subregional projects suchas: Mephanda Uncua hydroscheme; Nigeria-Togo-Benin-Ghana interconnectors, DRC-Angola-Namibia interconnectors;Kenya-Uganda oil pipeline; andthe recently approved West

African gas pipeline (WAGP). Funding agencies so farinclude the African Development Bank, World Bank, andthe Development Bank of Southern Africa.

New, recently commissioned power generation plantsinclude the 184-MW Gilgel Gibe hydro, Ethiopia (US$264million funding by the government, World Bank, and Euro-pean Banks, boosting Ethiopia’s capacity to 750 MW) andthe 330-MW Qarre I & II, Sudan. New power generationprojects include Skikda, Algeria, 825 MW, funded byFrance’s Societe Generale, Export and Import Bank of theUnited States (U.S. Ex-Im Bank), and Canada’s Export

30 IEEE power & energy magazine july/august 2005

CapacityProjects Type Location (MW)

Inga 3 Hydro DRC 3,500Grand Inga Hydro DRC 39,000Kafue Gorge Lower (KGL) Hydro Zambia 750Kafue Gorge Upper (KGU) Hydro Zambia 900Mphanda Nkuwa Hydro Mozambique 900–1,300Ethekweni Municipality Landfill gases South Africa 6–10Jeffrey’s Bay Wind South Africa 7 Kureimat Solar Egypt 30Suez Canal Wind Egypt 60Olkaria II Geothermal Kenya 70Olkaria III* Geothermal Kenya 36*Olkaria IV* Geothermal Kenya 70*Olkaria Ib & IIb* Geothermal Kenya 70*Eburru Geothermal Kenya 20–30Longonot, Suswa, Menengai, Silale Geothermal KenyaRift Valley** Geothermal East Africa-Kenya, 2,000–3,000

Djibouti, Eritrea,Ethiopia, Uganda,Tanzania, Malawi

table 3. Africa’s planned new power generation projects.

The World’s Disappearing Forests

10,000Years Ago Today

Temperate and Boreal

Tropical

figure 5. The world’s disappearing forest.

*Additional new capacity from existing plant using more efficient geothermal power conversion technologies.**Untapped geothermal power potential in the Rift Valley region of east Africa.

july/august 2005 IEEE power & energy magazine

Development. The initial capacity of 200 MW should beavailable in 2005. An 865-km long gas pipeline fromTemane, Mozambique, to Secunda, South Africa, with acapacity of 120 million GJ per annum by 2008 is planned at acost of US$1.2 billion. Another interesting project will be themassive 4,000-km trans-Sahara gas pipeline to interconnectNigeria-Algeria-Europe. The western corridor (WESTCOR)high power transmission from Inga (DRC) to South Africawill interconnect five countries in the southwestern corridor.

The emerging picture for Africa’s critical regional powerbases are: hydro power in Inga, DRC, and Central Africawith an untapped 39,000-MW capacity; geothermalresources in the Rift Valley region, East Africa with anuntapped 2,000–3,000 MW-potential; PBMR (pebble-bedmodular reactor) nuclear power and coal in South Africa;and thermal power (gas and oil-fired) in Nigeria, Angola,and Egypt.

Africa’s Rural Development and the World’s Disappearing ForestsRural development remains the largest single developmentchallenge; it accounts for the large use of biomass fuel byrural and urban populations and is a major contributing factorto deforestation (Figure 5). The challenge of balancing basichuman subsistence and the rights of the individuals in an agewhen the inherent genomic knowledge of the forest for futurecomputer development and medicines has been international-ly recognized and can lead to strong global partnerships.First-phase solutions to address rural energy deficiencies suchas solar, wind, and waste-to-energy projects and the introduc-tion of permaculture can represent a first defense againstdeforestation. The primary issues of concern, therefore, toAfrica’s power development are: environmental regulation;emphasis on green power (cleaner and more environmentallyfriendly energy); and the sustainability of energy resourcesand technology development

ConclusionsThe opportunities of the 21st century and, in particular, theadvances in information and computer technologies provideopportunities in excess of the challenges that face the conti-nent, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa ravaged by the AIDScrisis. The strategy of development planning around the largeresource power bases of hydro, natural gas, geothermal, solar,wind, coal, and PBMR technology in a resource-rich emerg-ing market such as Africa can be a mutually beneficial para-

digm in partnership with advanced economies having limitedresources. Collaboration in the global power industry afford-ed by the World Wide Web also furthers the development ofcritical skills and knowledge transfer to support the vision ofa robust electrical power sector throughout the continent.

For Further Reading I.M. Diaw, “Development of the African power sectorthrough NEPAD,” Energy in Africa Mag., pp. 22–26,Aug.–Oct. 2004.

“Regional energy integration in Africa,” ESI Africa, no. 3,p. 4, 2004.

“Hydropower potential in Africa,” ESI Africa, no. 3, p.35–36, 2004.

Energy Information Administration [Online]. Available:http://www.eia.doe.gov

F.T. Sparrow, W.A. Masters, Zuwei Yu, B.H. Bowen, G.Nderitu, “Modeling electricity trade in South Africa,” Insti-tute for Interdisciplinary Engineering Studies, Purdue Univ.,West Lafayette, IN, 1999.

BiographiesBai K. Blyden, received the degree of M.S.E.E. from theMoscow Energetics Institute, majoring in power systems,generation, and industrial distribution systems He is cur-rently a project manager with the Cummins Power Genera-tion Group responsible for distributed generation projects.He is a Member of the IEEE International Practices Sub-committee and has authored several papers on African ener-gy development.

Innocent E. Davidson is a Senior Member of the IEEE.He received the B.Eng. (with honors) and M.Eng. degrees inelectrical engineering from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria; aPh.D. in electrical engineering from the University of CapeTown, Rondebosch, South Africa; and a postgraduate diplomain business management from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), South Africa. He is presently a senior lecturerwith the School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engi-neering at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and a TechnicalConsultant to Dasela Engineering CC, Durban, South Africa.Innocent is a senior member of the South African IEE and amember of the United Kingdom IEE and the Nigerian Societyof Engineers. He is an NRF-rated scientist, a registered pro-fessional engineer (Pr. Eng.) with the Engineering Council ofSouth Africa (ECSA), and a chartered engineer (C.Eng.) ofthe United Kingdom.

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Africa uses about 3% of the world’s electricitybut accounts for 13.4% of the population and 15% of land area.

p&e