In the 1980s and 1990s, parts of Africa saw a surge in dam building for energy production. After a brief hiatus there has been renewed interested. Many new construction projects are planned and underway across Sub-Saharan Africa. Hydropower represents a significant and rapidly expanding proportion of electricity production in Eastern and Southern Africa. Around 90% of national electricity generation in Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia comes from hydropower. The share of hydropower in Sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for 20% of electricity production, is likely to grow rapidly. (If SA — which relies on coal-powered electricity — was excluded, this figure would be much higher, but separate numbers aren’t available.) An energy initiative, the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa, that has the buy-in of all African countries, argues for major hydropower developments within a broader clean-power agenda. The initiative argues this would enable African count...
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