Africa has been experiencing higher rates of urbanization than any other continent, and today about one-third of the continent's population live in urban areas. But studies of energy services for urban residents, especially the poor, are still rare. The supply of electricity to poor city dwellers has not kept pace with urbanization: in 1970 some 40 million had no access to electricity; by the year 2000 there were over 100 million. The urban poor continue to rely on wood fuel, charcoal, kerosene and dung cakes for energy, with all their environmental drawbacks. This book examines the...

Attracting private investment and delivery of services to the poor majority are priority goals for reforming and regulating the power sector in Sub-Saharan Africa. The licensing process and the tariff regime are important determinants of new investment in the electricity industry. For the licensing process to attract private investors, the procedures must be clear and must function efficiently and transparently, while the tariff regime must reflect actual costs. This book examines the extent to which the twin goals of attracting investment and providing energy to the poor are addressed by the...