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AfrElec RENEWABLES AfrElec
UK drives forward solar power across Africa
AFRICA
THE UK has created a four-year funding win- dow to improve electricity access in 15 mainly Anglophone countries across Africa, with a focus on vulnerable rural communities and marginalised groups, using clean o -grid solar electricity.
e UK-based Africa Clean Energy Technical Assistance Facility (ACE-TAF) was launched in Nigeria recently and aims to catalyse solar mar- kets across Africa.
e ACE-TAF’s strategy is to promote a mar- ket-based approach for private sector delivery of high-quality, stand-alone solar systems.
The scheme aims to complement govern- ment, private sector and donor initiatives to overcome the barriers preventing the develop- ment of o -grid solar markets.
“ e programme will support the Nigerian government’s rural electri cation strategy, facil- itate the attainment of its renewable energy tar- gets and support policy and regulatory reform leading to increased energy access, especially for marginalised and vulnerable persons and other initiatives to catalyse private markets in clean energy solutions in the country,” the ACE-TAF said.
Indeed, co-operation from the Nigerian
government in terms of nance and regulation is crucial.
Officials from the Nigerian Ministry of Finance said that it was in “particular in support of the development of the renewable technology. e ACE-TAF is encouraged to support capacity building in order to boost renewable solutions, especially to vulnerable people”
“Electri cation is a right for all. e private sector will work with government in a give-and- take to ensure this. We will be working closely with all of you,” Pauline Githungu, ACE-TAF team leader, said at the launch.
As well as boosting jobs and employment, ACE-TAF will focus on gender and social inclu- sion, policy and regulation and quality standards.
As well as Nigeria, the scheme will operate in Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Tanza- nia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
ACE-TAF has identi ed that over 60% of the population in these countries cannot benefit from meaningful economic growth or improve their quality of life, as they do not have access to power. It was o cially launched in Abidjan in June at the 3rd Round of the Africa Energy Mar- ket Place (AEMP).
FUELS
State-owned Zimbabwean firm seeks larger share of domestic fuel market
ZIMBABWE
ZIMBABWE’S Petrotrade, a state-owned retail seller of petroleum products, revealed last week that it was gearing up to launch an expansion campaign in rural areas.
Godfrey Ncube, the acting CEO of Petro- trade, said the campaign aimed to bring Petro- trade’s share of the domestic fuel market up from the current level of 10%. e company is looking to gain a much larger market share, and it hopes to do so by boosting rural sales, he said.
“ e future plan is to grow the company. We want to be the company that supplies fuel to dif- ferent parts of the country,” he told e Standard in an interview published on September 8. “Our aim is that probably in the next three or so years, Petrotrade is there in every district in Zimbabwe. We want to ensure that we are operating in every district, even in the rural areas.”
To this end, Ncube said, the company is working to build four new lling stations and will soon begin work on a h facility. “We have a project in Mabvuku (Harare) that is almost nished, [and] we have got one at Warren Park
(Harare),” he said. “We have got a project in Bindura that is about 35% complete, [and] we also have a project in Masvingo that is running at about 30% or so complete. We also have a project that is about to start at Epworth (Harare).”
He acknowledged that Petrotrade was trying to expand its market share at a time when fuel demand is lower than usual.
Demand has shifted because of the steep price hikes that the Zimbabwe Energy Regula- tory Authority (ZERA) has enacted in response to fuel shortages.
ZERA began to push prices upwards in Jan- uary, several months after Zimbabwe started experiencing fuel shortages because its foreign currency reserves were shrinking, and has done so a total of 13 times so far this year.
According to Ncube, the rate hikes have helped to balance supply and demand. “The queues [at lling stations] are shorter, maybe because the prices of fuel have gone up,” he told e Standard. At the same time, though, supplies are adequate, he declared.
Week 36 11•September•2019 w w w . N E W S B A S E . c o m P7
