13 June 2012: The May edition of the Lighting Africa Newsletter highlights that Lighting Africa’s “Lighting Global” project, a global quality assurance framework for off-grid energy products aiming to be a foundation for internationally-harmonized standards, went live on 28 March 2012.

Lighting Global looks to: create an appropriate balance between product quality and affordability; use rigorous tests that can be carried out at a reasonable cost; maintain stable and transparent quality assurance policies so stakeholders know what to expect; and effectively communicate product performance information to help buyers make informed decisions. The newsletter continues with a piece focusing on a International Finance Corporation (IFC)-World Bank Lighting Africa study indicating higher costs of kerosene in Africa’s rural areas than previously known, finding it is generally 35% more expensive than in urban areas. The revised numbers also show that in most cases, solar lamps to replace kerosene lanterns could be paid off much quicker than previously thought– enabling cleaner, safer, higher quality lighting sooner.

In others news, the newsletter looks at hands-on product screening training for experts from the Senegal Rural Electrification Agency (ASER) and Center for Renewable Energy Studies and Research (CERER) in Nairobi, Kenya, in preparation for new laboratory for western Africa.

In the “Stories from the Field” section, successful project in 2011 are outlined, such as: the NGO Solar Aid’s efforts to increase students’ access to better quality lighting on Tanzania’s Mafia Island; the NGO Appropriate Rural Technology Institute of Tanzania’s (ARTI-TZ) initiative to provide credit to help rural consumers buy solar lamps; and the “Mali Kauli” (word of Honor) credit scheme.

The section on associate news indicates six new manufactures of modern, portable off-grid lighting products have now qualified to apply to become associate members of the lighting Africa business support programme that provides business-to-business linkages to facilitate market entry and product marketing. The section also focuses on the impact of solar lanterns in the Philippines.

Lighting Africa is a joint IFC/Word Bank programme seeking to accelerate the development of commercial off-grid lighting markets to improve access to energy in Sub-Saharan Africa. [Publication: Lighting Africa Newsletter Issue 24, May 2012]