Alternative energy key to African development: UN - Yahoo! News

Alternative energy key to African development: UN - Yahoo! News

NAIROBI (AFP) - African countries must reduce their dependence on oil and begin to seek bold energy alternatives so the continent can emerge from a cycle of poverty, the head of the UN environment agency said Thursday.
Tapping into the continent's vast resources and developing wind, solar and geothermal energies will have long-lasting economic and environmental benefits for Africa, where 90 percent of people in rural areas do not have access to modern forms of energy, UN Environment Programme chief Achim Steiner said in Nairobi.
"As we look at Africa's energy needs, we are in danger of locking Africa into a development path that will lock them into being behind the rest of the world," Steiner told delegates attending an energy conference in the Kenyan capital. "Let us begin to take wind, solar and geothermal energy seriously."
"It is imperative that Africa harness the potential of these energy sources in an efficient and well-governed manner," Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki said in a conference speech.
Despite the continent's huge untapped energy potential, most of Africa's export revenue is devoted to importing fuel and other sources of energy, UN-HABITAT executive director Anna Tibaijuka said.
Kenya alone could save up to 33 million dollars annually if it switched to renewable energy and improved the management of the country's resources, she added.
Delegates from more than 100 countries and inter-governmental organisations are taking part in the two-day Tokyo International Conference on African Development.