This paper presents evidence on how the provision of unreliable electricity constrains expansion in the productive sectors of the economy, consequently leading to a reduction in the number of employment opportunities in Africa.
... See More + Using geodata on electricity transmission networks on the continent, the paper computes an index that explores spatial and time variations in technical losses in the electricity network as an instrument for electricity shortages. The instrument is combined with geo-referenced data from the Afrobarometer and Enterprise Surveys from more than 20 African countries to estimate the causal impact of electricity shortages on employment, and the mechanisms driving the impact. Results from the paper reveal that electricity shortages exert a substantial negative impact on employment rates in Africa. The evidence also shows three channels by which electricity shortages affect labor market participation. First, on the extensive margin, electricity shortages constrain the creation of new businesses through their negative effect on entrepreneurship. Second, in the intensive margin, electricity shortages reduce the output and productivity of existing firms, thereby causing them to reduce labor demand. Third, electricity shortages act as a distortion in the business climate, thereby reducing the trade and export competitiveness of African firms.
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Policy Research Working Paper WPS8415 APR 19, 2018
The development objective of the Tanzania-Zambia Transmission Interconnector Project for Africa is to establish cross-border transmission capacity between the Southern African Power Pool and the Eastern Africa Power Pool to enable regional power trade.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures are includes : (i) prepare and implement erosion and sediment control plans,particularly in areas identified as having high erosion potential; (ii) hazardous materials must be stored in a manner that prevents interaction with each other or with the environment or from being tampered accidentally; (iii) Contractor will protect all soil stockpiles subject to winderosion using a barrier, windscreen or vegetation; (iv) all trucks that cart away excavated soils will be covered using a tarpaulin sheet; (v) minimize construction impacts on receiving water bodies by implementing an erosion and sediment control plan and following best management practices; (vi) The Project Contractor will minimize vegetation clearing of the ROW, access roads and substation areas to only what is required for the construction phase processes; (vii) identified bat roosts such as those identified in tree holes, banana trees and rock cliffs should be avoided; (viii) all PAPs should be compensated for agricultural crops and fruit treesat the most current and applicable market rates; (ix) Contractor will procure and erect road traffic furniture for communicating with motorists about the construction works. Such road furniture will be erected after acquiring the necessary permits from the appropriate authorities; (x) Contractor will develop and implement an organizational Gender Policy that will ensure employment and business opportunities are accorded to men and women equally, and where necessary, affirmative actions are applied to bridge gender gaps that may exist; (xi) Contractor shall ensurethat separate accommodation and ablution facilities are provided for women.
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The objective of the Geothermal Development Project for Turkey is to scale up private sector investment in geothermal energydevelopment in Turkey.
... See More + This will be achieved by reducing the risks taken on by the private sector in the exploratory phases, and by providing access to long-term financing for resource developmentphases. Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: topsoil will be stripped up to 300 mm depth and stored in designated storage areas for further site restoration works; storage areas will be prevented from the accumulation of storm water, provided with drainage; weed growth in stockpiles of topsoil will be prevented and the stockpiles will be seeded if required; existing access roads will be used for project purposes and off-road driving will be prohibited; project activities will be limited in the construction area and construction sites will be surrounded with fences to prevent wild animals intrusion to the site; hunting or collection of animals and will be strictly prohibited within the project area; and awareness among all construction workers will be provided during the lifetime of the project for especially the fauna species with limited mobility. If these species, are observed, they will be translocated to undisturbed but similar areas.
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The quality of Lebanon's infrastructure is amongst the poorest regionally and globally. In fact, out of 137 countries, Lebanon ranks 130 in quality of overall infrastructure.1 This has been induced by low public spending on infrastructure, a consequence of the county's debt burden as well as the longterm absence of a budget.
... See More + The Capital Investment Plan (CIP) can be an effective tool to help reinforce Lebanon's delipidated infrastructure, abetting a boost in economic growth. The Government of Lebanon has requested from the World Bank an assessment of the CIP. This paper presents an assessment for the projects in the CIP by the World Bank Group, which has had a long-term engagement with Lebanon, both sectorally and cross-sectorally. The assessment was undertaken on the basis of the listing presented in Annex A, information provided in the Government's own Capital Investment Plan document, as well as other adhoc information. Each project in the CIP requires an independent appraisal as per highest standards. In addition, a sustainable macro-fiscal framework and debt strategy are essential for a successful implementation of the CIP. The IMF is taking the lead on a macro-fiscal assessment for the CIP, which will be presented at the Paris conference.
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