— “Providing access to electricity for schools, hospitals, businesses and
industries is the single most impactful intervention that can be made to
transform the continent. It has tremendous implications for job creation,
health, food security, education, technological advancement and overall
economic development.” Mr. Tony Elumelu said today in Abidjan.
African businessman and philanthropist Tony Elumelu who is the Chairman of
Heirs Holdings and Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation joined African
economic and political leaders today in Abidjan to call for an end to
energy poverty on the continent. The leaders came together in Abidjan
under the umbrella of the African Energy Leaders Group (AELG).
The AELG was launched during the 2015 World Economic Forum in Davos,
Switzerland. The group brings together political and business leaders at
the highest level to drive the reforms and investment needed to end energy
poverty and to ensure sustainable fuel supplies on the continent.
Mr. Elumelu is a founding partner and Co-chair of the AELG. Other founding
partners of AELG include Ivoirian President Allasane Ouattara; Ghanaian
President John Mahama; President, African Development Bank Dr Donald
Kaberuka; President & CEO, The Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote;
President ECOWAS Commission, Kadre Desire Ouedraogo; and President UEMOA
Cheikhe Hadjibou Soumare.
Providing access for all Africans to reliable, affordable energy services
and efficient appliances by 2030 is a key goal of AELG. The AELG objective
of ensuring universal access to modern energy is in line with those of the
United Nations Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) initiative run by the
UN Secretary General’s Special Representative Kandeh Yumkella, one of the
champions of the AELG. Mr. Elumelu pledged to support the work of AELG.
“I am making a pledge to provide $150,000 over the next three years to
support the operations of the AELG secretariat,” he said. “I want to call
on the governments of the member states of the ECOWAS region, and AELG
members and partners to also step up with significant multi-year
commitments to sustain the organization.” Following Mr Elumelu’s lead, pop
superstar, Akon, who was also in attendance at the event to promote his
Lighting Africa Initiative, pledged $200,000 to support the work of the
AELG secretariat.
On the closing panel for the AELG meeting where Elumelu was joined by
Akon, former presidents Obasanjo and Kufuor, Vice President Osinbajo, and
the Prime Ministers of Cote D’Ivoire, Mali, Benin, Togo, and Niger, he
challenged the public sector leaders to follow the lessons learned from
the democratization of the telecoms sector to unlock growth in the power
sector.
In 2013, Tony Elumelu committed to investing $2.5 billion in the power
sector in Africa through President Obama’s Power Africa Initiative.
Transcorp Plc, Chaired by Elumelu, acquired the largest gas powered
generating plant in Nigeria, located in Ughelli, Delta State in late 2013.
By the end of this year, the Transcorp Ughelli plant will be generating
1,000 MW and the company is in discussions with GE to add an additional
1,000 MW soon after.