The Lighting Africa initiative is focused on off-grid lighting. Does this indicate that it is a preferred option to grid-extension?
Off-grid lighting is not necessarily “better” than grid-extension. In fact, when grid-extension is possible, it is often the preferred option among consumers. However, the reality remains that the grid has not yet reached millions of people and is not likely to in the near term for the reasons mentioned above. Even the smallest of Solar Home Systems (SHSs) continue to be largely out of reach for the poor in Africa due to their large up-front costs. Although microfinance and subsidization have played an important role in making such systems more widespread, the first cost barriers as well as capacity constraints continue to prevent more widespread deployment. Lighting Africa acts to supplement ongoing programs to expand grid and off-grid electricity connections by focusing on providing the more than 500 million poor off-grid populations who currently rely on costly, dirty, inefficient and hazardous lighting sources such as kerosene lamps and candles with affordable, clean and efficient
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