Three major energy projects financed by the African Development Bank in Ouarzazate, Morocco; Menengai, Kenya; et Bujagali, Uganda; were featured in a film project which captured 25 sustainable energy projects on the African continent in the context of the UN International Year of Sustainable Energy.
Jeremy Debreu and Claire Guibert of the association Africa Express paid a visit to the AfDB Temporary Relocation Agency in Tunis recently to discuss the film project, which had the pair cover more than 22 countries in 2012. The French nationals created their association in 2011 with the aim to document energy projects in Africa. The project sponsors included the United Nations Environment Programme, AfDB, the Scheider Electric Foundation, and Électricité de France.
Africa has enormous potential for solar energy in particular, said Debreu and Guibert, yet some 35 per cent of Africans still have no access to electricity.
"The African Development Bank has a very good reputation in the countries we visited," said Guibert, adding that the Bank's support made their job much easier as it gave them more credibility in the field.
According to Debreu, the selected projects were extremely diverse in terms of models, impact and constraints, yet they offered nonetheless a rich array of development solutions. A film and a white paper based on their year of research will be released in 2013, with the goal to contribute to the economic transformation of Africa, with an ecological added value.
The AfDB's role in sponsoring this project documenting the energy potential of the continent is linked to its goal to share knowledge about Africa, in areas such as sustainable development.
