Unemployment is at warning levels in Sub-Saharan Africa where 100 million youth face unemployment by 2030 if current trends continue, according to the results of the annual census dubbed “Powering Jobs Census 2019: The Energy Access Workforce” that was obtained by APA Monday in kigali ,
The study was produced by “Power for All”, a global coalition of 200 public and private organizations campaigning to deliver universal electricity access before 2030.
According to the results of the census released Monday, distributed energy access solutions are already directly employing as many workers as the traditional utility power sector in Africa where by the number of jobs are expected to more than double by 2022-23, on average.
It said that beyond creating energy industry jobs, communities gaining access to clean, distributed electricity for the first time benefit hugely, with 5 times more non-energy jobs (in agriculture, retail, etc) being created than direct energy industry jobs.
While companies delivering energy access provide jobs that are highly skilled and middle-income. More than two-thirds of the jobs are also long term and full time, the report said.
Currently Africa’s youth population is projected to double by 2050 to 840 million, and amidst this challenge, there is a major opportunity for employment through delivering energy access to the growing population especially in Sub-saharan Africa, according to the new findings.
Official estimates indicate that across Africa, an estimated 600 million people in general– 2 out of 3 people in Sub-Saharan African – do not have access to electricity.
In a move to make electricty affordable for the continent and viable for its utilities, estimates by World Bank show that a series of steps can help power utilities recover the cost of supplying electricity and make it affordable for the poor at the same time.
Access to reliable, safe, and affordable electricity can improve lives in Sub-Saharan Africa—people can work longer and be more productive, children can study at night, women and young girls can walk home at night under the safety of working streetlights, and hospitals can provide reliable healthcare to those who need it, the World Bank said.
While connecting to the grid is a solution for many Africans, the study acknowledges that mini- and off-grid electricity, especially from sources like solar, is essential to electrify homes in many rural areas in Sub-Saharan Africa.
CU/abj/APA