Power Issues Hit Africa E-Learning Project

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sent by OrpRam since 109 days 19 minutes, published about 108 days 8 hours 20 minutes
Lack of investment in electric power generation and a dearth of renewable energy alternatives are threatening to derail the New Partnership for Africa's Development's (Nepad) plan to equip schools in Africa with computers to promote e-learning. - The problem is also threatening the computerization of schools particularly in rural areas, which often are not connected to the national grid. - The question of electric power has dominated many discussions on how technology can be used to spur economic growth in the region. - Despite political pronouncements by African governments, little progress has been made in improving the region's power generation and supply capacity especially to rural areas.
tags: ovrp-greed-dbt-fscsm-unsustn-env-edu-ineqlty-alt e
1 commentscategory: The World karma: 138

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  1. #1    Within Africa there seems to be sincere recognition of lack of power being an obstacle to social progress. I had the opportunity to talk to the CEO of a private power generating company in one of the more developed sub-Saharan African countries recently. He told me that the UN estimates that the minimum generating and distribution capacity that a country needs for development to start is 130 watts per person (think about that, two 60-watt light bulbs would pretty much use your entire allotment. In the US, we consume in the range of 6000 watts/person). His model developing country (ok, it's the country that Pres. Obama visited first on his trip to Africa) has a capacity of around 43 watts/person, or about 1/3 of the UN recommended capacity; and it is considered much more advanced than its neighbors.

    So between sincere recognition and some of the largest reserves of natural gas in the world, will the problem be addressed? Unlikely.
    written by protect_democracy since 108 days 18 hours 21 minutesprotect_democracy
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