The African Development Bank
(AfDB) has said that more than 57 per cent of the people in West Africa are
without access to electricity. The bank stated this in its “West Africa Monitor
Quarterly”, for the second quarter of 2014 report.
It said that the percentage
approximated the average for sub-Saharan Africa,” but extremely low compared
with 23 per cent in the developing world and 18 per cent globally.”
According to the report,
with inadequate generation capacity, low electrification, and sporadic,
unreliable and expensive service, energy is at the top of questions requiring
adequate policy intervention.
It explained that access
rates varied from country to country, with eight per cent in Niger and 15 per
cent in Burkina Faso, Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Guinea Bissau. The
report added that