This knowledge note is the first ofthree case studies that concerns scaling up access toelectricity in Africa, Bangladesh, and Rwanda. LightingAfrica, a joint IFC and World Bank program launched in 2007,was the first private-sector-oriented effort to leverage newLED lighting technologies to build sustainable markets thatprovide safe, affordable, and modern off-grid lighting tocommunities in Africa that lack access to electricity. By2030 the program aims to enable the private sector to reach250 million people who now depend on fuel-based lighting.The case study for Africa is important, because thecontinent faces a huge rural electricity deficit. Globalelectrification in 2010 was estimated to be about 83percent. The deficit of 17 percent encompasses some 1.2billion people. Achieving universal access to modern energyservices is one of the three complementary objectives of theSustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative. LightingAfrica succeeded as a catalyst for the off-grid lightingmarket in Sub-Saharan Africa. Another success is apparent inthe spectacular trajectory of solar lantern sales in Kenya.On the climate front, the program has avoided 274,000 tonsof greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of taking 35,000cars off the road. Important lessons were learned during thefirst phase of the program. Some interventions were verysuccessful; others could have been done differently. Goingforward, the Lighting Africa program will support thegeographic expansion of ongoing activities to enablemarket-based solutions for affordable, modern off-gridlighting. The following challenges will be addressed: solarhome systems, consumer awareness, and impact evaluation.
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