The funding is aimed at helping the continent meet future energy needs and increase access to modern and sustainable energy services.
The support is part of the Africa-EU Renewable Energy Cooperation Programme.
The Africa-EU Renewable Energy Cooperation Programme was launched in September 2010 in Vienna as an integral part of the Africa-EU Energy Partnership (AEEP).
The funding will be officially announced at the Second High Level Meeting of the AEEP, which takes place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, between February 11 and 13 this year.
Sub Saharan Africa has the lowest electrification rate in the world, and more than 650 million people rely on traditional biomass for heating and cooking.
This is why the EU has set itself the goal to help developing countries provide 500 million people with access to sustainable energy services by 2030, as part of the Sustainable Energy for All initiative (SE4ALL) led by the UN.
EU Commissioner for Development , Andris Piebalgs, notes in a press release that, "energy is fundamental to development. No energy means no sustainable economic growth, no sustainable agriculture, no quality healthcare; no decent education. In short, no energy means no development."
Source: The New Statesman
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