Energy Services for the Urban Poor in Africa: Issues and Policy Implications

Africa has been experiencing higher rates of urbanization than any other continent, and today about one-third of the continent's population live in urban areas. But studies of energy services for urban residents, especially the poor, are still rare. The supply of electricity to poor city dwellers has not kept pace with urbanization: in 1970 some 40 million had no access to electricity; by the year 2000 there were over 100 million. The urban poor continue to rely on wood fuel, charcoal, kerose…