Well, our journey for electricity in Africa has taken us to Liberia.
We know Liberia is just coming off an ugly civil war that pretty much wiped out everything in the country, this search for electricity on the continent is an equal opportunity, so there are no exemptions (maybe only when we come to North Africa).
For now lets look at what has been achieve in the year since Her Excellency Madame Johnson-Sirleaf took office. Part of the capital has seen electricity (namely the central part of the Capital Monrovia and Sinkor). We know a bunch of Ghanaian Electricity folks were sent to go and help, I just hope they have not gone there with the same mentality they had in Ghana (greasing the palm before getting what one rightfully is entitled to) after all, the poor folks left in Liberia are barely scratching a living, so they have nothing extra to grease palms with. Liberia is planning on using rubber wood chips to fuel some of their power plants. I know when rubber burns, it gives off a very pungent nauseating odour, but at least it is a start. The effort for this undertaking is a company called Buchanan Renewable Energies (BRE). BRE is planning on bringing more heavy equipment to help develop the infrastructure. Considering what has happened so far and compared to some of the Africa countries that have been trouble free for the last 20 years, and who are still living with rotating blackout and darkness, these folks need to be cheered for their efforts, lets give them a hand.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Electricity Sierra Leone
For a change, I just happened to pick an African country where the people in charge are acting like cheetahs instead of hippos. Everybody, lets give these leaders a hand. Considering where Sierra Leone has been, and where it is coming from, these crops of people seem to have their brains and hearts in the right place.
Even though Sierra Leone is not awash in electricity, at least they are not going through the blackouts like some of these countries on the continent where electricity supply is so unreliable that every potential business start up must have generator as key equipment. The civil war is over, reconstruction is underway, it is safe to run electrical appliances in the capital without the fear of on-again-off-again possible destruction of the appliance. Thank Mr. Ernest Bai Koroma. Please keep up the good work, we all hope you are not going to disappoint.
With the cost of goods that are electricity dependent either going down or stabilizing, do we see an upswing in the production of minerals like diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromium.
Again Mr. Koroma, thank you for the work you have done so far, and do not disappoint us.
Even though Sierra Leone is not awash in electricity, at least they are not going through the blackouts like some of these countries on the continent where electricity supply is so unreliable that every potential business start up must have generator as key equipment. The civil war is over, reconstruction is underway, it is safe to run electrical appliances in the capital without the fear of on-again-off-again possible destruction of the appliance. Thank Mr. Ernest Bai Koroma. Please keep up the good work, we all hope you are not going to disappoint.
With the cost of goods that are electricity dependent either going down or stabilizing, do we see an upswing in the production of minerals like diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromium.
Again Mr. Koroma, thank you for the work you have done so far, and do not disappoint us.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Electricity Guinea (Bissau and Conakry)
Electricity Guinea-Bissau
My electricity tour of Africa has taken me to Guinea-Bissau, referred here as Bissau. Bissau is one of the poorest environments on the earth. Lack of electricity makes travel through the capital very dangerous, especially at night, when the streets are dark and there is no lighting to speak of.
There is one thing that is plentiful in Bissau, Land mines. If you ever happened to be in Bissau, just be careful where you step.
Electricity Guinea (Conakry)
While I am talking about Guinea-Bissau referred here as Bissau, what about Guinea Conakry which I will refer to as plain Guinea.
If Ghana is rich in bauxite, Guinea is very rich. But wait a minute, it takes a large amount of electricity to melt and extract the alumina or the billet.
The world price of metals have become almost prohibitive, this include iron. Guess what, Guinea has one of the largest reserves of iron in the whole world. I hope nobody is going to talk about chemical extraction. Heaven forbid, where are we going to dump the waste from the chemical extraction, not in my back yard! So the only other alternative is electrical. But like Ghana, Guinea is suffering from the same sickness, mismanagement, vanishing receipts, not enough electricity for the masses, much less for heavy industry like smelting. Here are hippos running amuck, do I see any cheetahs in this particular game reserve? Lets sacrifice today, so those coming after us can live better tomorrow.
My electricity tour of Africa has taken me to Guinea-Bissau, referred here as Bissau. Bissau is one of the poorest environments on the earth. Lack of electricity makes travel through the capital very dangerous, especially at night, when the streets are dark and there is no lighting to speak of.
There is one thing that is plentiful in Bissau, Land mines. If you ever happened to be in Bissau, just be careful where you step.
Electricity Guinea (Conakry)
While I am talking about Guinea-Bissau referred here as Bissau, what about Guinea Conakry which I will refer to as plain Guinea.
If Ghana is rich in bauxite, Guinea is very rich. But wait a minute, it takes a large amount of electricity to melt and extract the alumina or the billet.
The world price of metals have become almost prohibitive, this include iron. Guess what, Guinea has one of the largest reserves of iron in the whole world. I hope nobody is going to talk about chemical extraction. Heaven forbid, where are we going to dump the waste from the chemical extraction, not in my back yard! So the only other alternative is electrical. But like Ghana, Guinea is suffering from the same sickness, mismanagement, vanishing receipts, not enough electricity for the masses, much less for heavy industry like smelting. Here are hippos running amuck, do I see any cheetahs in this particular game reserve? Lets sacrifice today, so those coming after us can live better tomorrow.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Gambia, Electricity, and Blackout
Gambia, Electricity and Blackout
Gambia thinks it only need to produce about 36.5 MW for the whole country to be electrified. That should not be a problem, considering the size of the country. But here we are after more than forty years of independence; Gambia is going through electricity blackouts.
The question is WHY?
Dauda Jawara will say he was not given the chance to improve on what he inherited from Britain, but he was in power for almost 30 years (an African hippo), until a bunch of revolutionary misguided cadre of soldiers overthrew him. What has happened since? Nobody knows.
Now we have a new president in Yayah Jammeh (been in power since 1994), he is going through the electricity blackouts, he has proven himself a hippo, the money that should be going into electrification of the country of Gambia, but has NOT is weighing him down, another hippo of a head of state. He has admitted that the electricity problem has caused the textile industry not to expand. So the job that was promised the masses or shall I say the guppies, have not materialized.
Folks, if you do not feed your guppies, they will not grow bigger to feed the herring, which will not grow bigger to feed the sharks.
Mr. Jammeh was dancing with the guppies last June to celebrate the inauguration of a new 6.5 MW generator. Do I see a cheetah in the making?
Only time will tell.Mr. Yayah Jammeh, please stop being a hippo, and become a cheetah.
Gambia thinks it only need to produce about 36.5 MW for the whole country to be electrified. That should not be a problem, considering the size of the country. But here we are after more than forty years of independence; Gambia is going through electricity blackouts.
The question is WHY?
Dauda Jawara will say he was not given the chance to improve on what he inherited from Britain, but he was in power for almost 30 years (an African hippo), until a bunch of revolutionary misguided cadre of soldiers overthrew him. What has happened since? Nobody knows.
Now we have a new president in Yayah Jammeh (been in power since 1994), he is going through the electricity blackouts, he has proven himself a hippo, the money that should be going into electrification of the country of Gambia, but has NOT is weighing him down, another hippo of a head of state. He has admitted that the electricity problem has caused the textile industry not to expand. So the job that was promised the masses or shall I say the guppies, have not materialized.
Folks, if you do not feed your guppies, they will not grow bigger to feed the herring, which will not grow bigger to feed the sharks.
Mr. Jammeh was dancing with the guppies last June to celebrate the inauguration of a new 6.5 MW generator. Do I see a cheetah in the making?
Only time will tell.Mr. Yayah Jammeh, please stop being a hippo, and become a cheetah.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Cash infusion for Senegal Electricity
The World Bank just gave Senegal a cash infusion of 80 million to help with electricity production, development, and services.
This funding is to help with the restoration of electricity through 2009.
Since I am very pessimistic where funding like this are made, I wonder how much would really go into electrical projects, and how much would go into pockets of the runners of the country?
Virtually every country on the continent of Africa is having problem with electricity, yet aid and lines of credit are being extended to African countries. The G-8 conference just ended in Japan, with promises to help the beggars of the world.
The details of aid have not come to light, but based on past results, I would rather have the donor nations send their own people to oversee the distribution. At least with regard to USA, any citizen who bribes a foreign official, can be prosecuted in the USA if such bribery comes to light, so would any embezzlement. With regard to African leadership, perpetrators get pats on the back.
This funding is to help with the restoration of electricity through 2009.
Since I am very pessimistic where funding like this are made, I wonder how much would really go into electrical projects, and how much would go into pockets of the runners of the country?
Virtually every country on the continent of Africa is having problem with electricity, yet aid and lines of credit are being extended to African countries. The G-8 conference just ended in Japan, with promises to help the beggars of the world.
The details of aid have not come to light, but based on past results, I would rather have the donor nations send their own people to oversee the distribution. At least with regard to USA, any citizen who bribes a foreign official, can be prosecuted in the USA if such bribery comes to light, so would any embezzlement. With regard to African leadership, perpetrators get pats on the back.
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