Philips and the Dutch Government signed a public private partnership agreement, which will see the development of a new generation of sustainable - solar powered - lighting solutions for Sub-Saharan Africa. This project is linked to the existing UN Millennium Development Goals, and aims to provide 10 million people in Sub-Sahara Africa with affordable, appropriate and sustainable energy solutions by 2015 for Lighting, cooking and water purification. Eight Millennium Development Goals have been identified and all of the world’s countries agreed to take steps to meet he needs of the world’s poorest. We will have time to reach the Millennium Development Goals – worldwide and in most, or even all, individual countries – but only if we break with business as usual. We cannot win overnight. Success will require sustained action across the entire decade between now and the deadline – 2015. At the midway point between their adoption in 2000 and the 2015 target date for achieving the Millennium Development Goals, sub-Saharan African countries are not on track to achieve these goals, and there has not been sufficient progress in reducing extreme poverty in its many forms. Gerard Kleisterlee, President and CEO of Philips said in a recent speech, ‘The rural lighting markets for low income people in developing countries, is not very well known or explored. It is essential that governments and international organizations such as the NGO’s, World Bank, and various companies get together in a network to work out appropriate business models’. Today an estimated 500 million Africans live without electricity. For these people nighttime means either darkness or the flickering light of a candle or kerosene lamp. However as prices of oil have risen dramatically during the past few years, very few can now afford the kerosene they need. As a result therefore at the going down of the sun at around 6.30-7.00pm, life simply comes to a stop for hundreds of millions of people. Children don’t do homework; work and other economic activities stop too. Quality of life is also affected. The private partnership agreement between the Dutch government and Philips will address the needs of the sub-Saharan African countries by providing generation of self powered and solar powered lighting solutions. Philips also supports main distributors and undertakes new business The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGIS) will provide support for market development: awareness creation, entrepreneurial training, support of finance mechanisms, program and country project management. The result will be a win-win-win scenario for the people of Sub-Saharan Africa, the Dutch government and private businesses involved in supplying solutions. The range of Philips’ sustainable off-grid lighting solutions: |