It Takes a Village: Rural Electrification in East Africa

Access to electric energy is an ?indispensable element of sustainable human development,? according to the International Energy Agency. Without access to modern, commercial energy, poor countries can be trapped in a vicious circle of poverty, social instability, and underdevelopment. About 1.6 billion people?more than 20% of the world?s population?have no access to electricity. Moreover, about 2.4 billion people use traditional biomass for cooking and heating. Developing regions account for 99% of those who live without electricity, and four out of five live in rural areas of South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.