Africa needs up to $4.3B private investment in transmission infrastructure

2017-7-19

 The World Bank’s new report is calling for increased private sector investment in Africa’s under-developed electricity transmission infrastructure.

In the report titled Linking up: Public-Private Partnerships in Power Transmission in Africa, the Bank further highlights that alongside generation and distribution, improving and increasing transmission infrastructure is key to closing the electricity access gap, reports ESI-Africa.

Estimates of annual investments required from 2015-2040 to expand the transmission network range from $3.2 billion to $4.3 billion. These investments are critical to delivering cost-effective power to households and industries, according to the study.

“To attract private sector investment, however, governments need to adopt policies supportive of this strategy and establish the right business, regulatory and legal environment to sustain investor interest,” said senior director and head of energy and extractives industries at the World Bank, Riccardo Puliti.

Source: ESI-Africa