World Bank, others handcuff Africa on energy

Kim

Jim Yong Kim, President, World Bank, has disclosed that African leaders have approached him that they need more support to provide baseload power in their countries.

According to him, they told him it’s wrong for institutions like the World Bank to tell them they cannot use fossil fuels for baseload electricity.

“You’ve come to us in Africa who have put almost none of the carbon in the air and you tell us we can’t have baseload electricity. You’re outraged by climate change, we have almost no responsibility for putting the carbon in the air and yet you’re telling us we can’t develop and have baseload energy because we can’t use a single drop of fossil fuel for our own energy needs. And I can tell you, when I hear that from our leaders, from people in industry, in places like Africa, it’s compelling to me,” Kim said.

“We feel that you have to listen to the social justice arguments from people from poor countries who have not put any of the carbon in the air and want to have baseload,” he added.

An estimated 1.1 billion people – 14% of the global population – don’t have access to electricity, according to the International Energy Agency.