Electric power development and trade, and power sector reform in Africa

Africa, as a continent, possesses adequate energy resources for her development, but their distribution across the continent is highly uneven. Africa has only begun to reap the benefits potentially available from integrated energy development. Full integration of energy systems is a very long-term task. Many factors have helped or hindered energy cooperation and integration: the existence of markets which will permit payback for investors, international development policy, economic social and environmental pressures, geography and demography, safely and security, governance, human and institutional capacity and the establishment of collaborative forums and regional and pan-African standards. If future progress is to be optimized, it is vital that the lessons of past experience in all these and other, as yet unexplored, areas are learnt. This paper presents an overview of the energy power development and trade, and power sector reform in Africa