Power Sector Reform in Africa : Assessing Impact on Poor People

Eberhardt, Anton ; Clark, Alix ; Wamukonya, Njeri ; Gratwick, Katherine

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: ACCESS TO ELECTRICITY;    ACCESS TO ENERGY;    BUDGET DEFICITS;    BULK POWER;    BULK SUPPLY;   

RP-ID  :  ESM306

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

The goal of this study is to examine theimpact of power sector reform on poor people in Africa bytracing the relationship between this process and certainkey factors that directly affect the poor, such as access toelectricity, the affordability of electricity services,quality, and reliability of supply, access to such socialservices as electrified clinics and schools, economicdevelopment, and net impacts on public finances. The studyexamines power sector reform in six African countries -Ghana, Mali, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda -using sector-wide data. Broad trends across the case studycountries suggest that the impacts of power sector reform onthe poor are neither direct nor inevitable. Although theintroduction of private actors may actually result in priceincreases and not necessarily expand access to electricity,reform also provides opportunities that would not otherwiseexist to improve quality and reliability, expand networks,and re-direct public resources more transparently to thepoor and rural communities.