ESG is working with the World Bank Group on the Lighting Africa initiative--aimed at providing up to 250 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa with access to non-fossil fuel based, low cost, safe, and reliable lighting products with associated basic energy services by the year 2030.
Modern lighting can
Extend the working day for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) thus expanding production, enriching income opportunities, improving working conditions, and increasing customers
Enhance safety and security via outdoor lighting for personal, business, and community activities
Create conditions to attract teachers, retain students, expand time for student reading and studying, and improve grades and school retention rates
Provide opportunities for adult literacy and higher education programs
Improve health services delivery and thus reduce productivity loss due to illnesses
Currently, 1.7 billion people worldwide are without electricity. The problem is most acute in Sub-Saharan Africa where over 500 million people presently lack modern energy, with rural electricity access rates as low as 2%.
Among the poorest of the poor, lighting is often the most expensive item among their energy uses, typically accounting for 10-15% of total household income. Yet, while consuming a large share of scarce income, fuel based lighting provides little in return.
New advancements in lighting technology, such as compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and light emitting diodes (LEDs), promise clean, portable, durable, lower cost, and higher quality lighting. The challenge is to make these products accessible to the half billion "lighting poor" in Africa. With expenditures on fuel based lighting estimated at US$38 billion annually, the potential exists to engage the international lighting industry in this new market area, while serving consumers, bolstering local commerce, creating jobs, enhancing incomes, cleaning the air, and improving health, safety, and quality of life.
