Renewables in Africa

“Africa is not poor. It is a rich continent with many, many poor people,” Kofi Annan said November 17 at Statoil’s Autumn conference in Oslo. Annan said that it had been an exciting period for investment in Africa, and the outlook was more optimistic than it had been for half a century. Highlighting the opportunities for investment in renewable energy in Africa, as well as conventional oil and gas, Annan said hydropower, solar and geothermal were areas of particular interest. But improved governance would be key to attracting investment in these sectors, he said. “Business cannot succeed and prosper in a society that fails”.