8 June 2011
World Bank’s Lighting Africa Initiative Reports Success Stories
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The Lighting Africa Initiative allows poor rural farmers without access to grid electricity to replace polluting kerosene lamps with cleaner and more efficient led lighting, thus saving money, enabling them to extend their working hours to increase income, and improving indoor air quality with its associated health benefits.

6 June 2011: The World Bank’s Lighting Africa Initiative is showcasing examples of success in providing off-grid lighting to poor communities in Africa.

By replacing polluting kerosene lamps with clean LED lighting, street vendors and families are able to save money, extend working hours and improve indoor air quality. Since September 2007, the programme has been building markets for, and promoting the use of, modern, off-grid lighting products in sub-Saharan Africa with the overall aim to have 500,000 high-quality lanterns distributed by 2012, and reach 250 million people by 2030. The market for clean lighting is already showing size of growth, with prices halved since the start of the programme. In 2008, products retailing above US$50 dominated the market. Today, a range of products is available from US$25-$50 and prices are expected to fall further. [World Bank Press Release] [Lighting Africa Newsletter, April 2011]

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