The 2013 World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) report produced by, among others, the United Nations Department of Social and Economic Affairs (UNDESA) and the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD), predicts that, during the year 2013, Africa will achieve significantly stronger economic growth than the global average.

The initiative has gained substantial political momentum with the UN General Assembly having declared in December 2012, a decade of Sustainable Energy for All.

BP’s announcement yesterday that it plans to  invest close to R5 billion in South Africa and Mozambique over the next five years in new and on-going infrastructure upgrade projects means South Africa will have clean fuel by 2017 – allowing for the full importation of Euro V-compliant diesel-engined commercial  vehicles.

Between 2006 and 2010, the number of SWH suppliers in the industry increased from 45 to 700. There are currently approximately 300 active suppliers within the industry. However, a recent study conducted by Frost & Sullivan indicates that the uptake of the product by consumers has not yet been as successful as expected.

Ten African innovators have developed practical solutions to some of the continent’s most intractable problems.  Chosen from more than 900 applications from 45 countries, the finalists for the Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA) 2013 provide practical examples of Africa’s investment potential.