Electrification rates range from almost 100 percent in Egypt down, shockingly, to just 9 percent in Uganda. Even South Africa, one of the continent's most developed nations, takes electric power to only 75 percent of its people. Worryingly, the hunger for power will rise sharply: average gross domestic product for Africa is expected to outpace the world average in next few years, with both industry and households craving more electricity. Just think about all those mines alone: Africa's remarkable mineral resources account for almost one third of the world's reserves; less well known, the continent is expected to account for 13 percent of global oil production by 2015.
Ilona Braverman
Newsroom Manager with ABB's Corp. Comms. Team