Should Government Leaders in Nigeria Embrace Renewable Energy Technologies?

The World Bank Group has financed and helped implement many projects relating to renewable energy.  Some of the projects that they helped execute in Mali were mentioned in a featured story published on their website.One of the projects that they helped finance, in the Mali commune of Sébékoro, extended the supply of electricity causing it to run from 6 pm until midnight.  This allowed children to study and do their homework for longer periods of time at their home and restaurant owners to use their refrigerators and freezers while they stayed open longer. Another project –through the Domestic Energy and Rural Access to Basic Sources Project (PEDASB)–saw around 765 people gain connections to electricity. After the installation of a hybrid solar photovoltaic/diesel system in Niena, 538 people gained access to electricity. This access had a positive effect on the quality of health centers, and it was also reported that teachers noticed an improvement in their students’ performance. While these examples are anecdotal and not based on long term studies, they show a promising start to the future of electricity in Africa.