UNDP to initiate sustainable energy projects
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), China Office, is to initiate two projects in Ghana and Zambia to address barriers which currently hinder effective technology transfer for viable renewable energy solutions.
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The project is to be implemented with the support of the Danish Government.
The UN Resident Co-ordinator and UNDP Representative in China, Mr Alain Noudehor, announced this in Guiyang, the capital of the Guizhou Province during a roundtable discussion of access to sustainable energy.
The forum was part of the Eco Forum Global Annual Conference, which is the Chinese premier international platform to promote sustainable development and build eco-civilisation.
The conference was on the theme: "Joining hands, leveraging reforms to bring forth a new era of eco-civilisation".
Mr Noudehor contributed to the topic: "China-Africa Co-operation for Sustainable Energy Access".
He explained that in project formulation, there were barriers in the two countries for access to sustainable energy due to unsubstantiated perception and lack of knowledge.
"If we do not effectively identify the barriers to effective technology transfer (financial or otherwise), all our efforts will have very limited impact".
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Sustainable-energy-for-all initiative
The United Nations, according to Mr Noudehor, had launched the sustainable-energy-for-all initiative which was to ensure a universal access to modern energy services.
The initiative would also double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency, and the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
He said at present, more than 1.2 billion people did not have access to electricity while 2.8 billion people were relying on wood or other types of biomass for cooking and heating.
That, he explained, created a substantial barrier that halted progress towards eradicating poverty, and added that sustainable sources of energy and equitable access to energy for all were vital for a country's ability to achieve its development goals.
Case of Zambia
Citing Zambia Mr Noudehor stated that while the capital, Lusaka, enjoyed approximately 80 per cent electrification, other cities in that country had less than 50 per cent coverage.
The coverage, according to him, was much lower in the rural areas where the majority of the population resided- with only three per cent connected to the national grid.
Mr Noudehor was of the view that while it was difficult to quantify how the lack of access to sustainable energy affected communities and households, studies had shown that access to electricity was a key driver of sustainable development.
"Access to decent sources of energy stimulates local economic activities, including the establishment of businesses and creation of employment," he said.