New book tackles Africa's energy crisis

Power to the continent: Prof Anton Eberhard's new book takes a hard look at energy concerns in Africa.

Professor Anton Eberhard, director of the management programme in infrastructure reform and regulation at UCT's Graduate School of Business, is the lead author of a new book, Africa's Power Infrastructure: Investment, Integration, Efficiency.

The book states the facts boldly: Africa's energy infrastructure is vastly inadequate when measured against the continent's demand for energy.

"The gap is so significant that it requires that the ideological debate of public versus private be set aside and that all mechanisms and resources to reduce the gap be mobilised," says Eberhard.

The book, based on data collected between 2006 and 2008 by the Africa Country Infrastructure Diagnostic, outlines six focus areas for Africa to make headway in correcting these deficiencies.