A vision for sustainable energy in Africa | Chibeze Ezekiel

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4.1 • 11.9K Ratings

🗓️ 19 April 2022

⏱️ 8 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Africa needs new energy sources to fuel its development, but the continent should invest in renewable energy instead of cheap, polluting alternatives like coal, says climate inclusion activist Chibeze Ezekiel. He tells the story of how he worked with local communities in Ghana to halt the construction of the country's first coal power plant -- and encouraged the government to prioritize investments in renewable energy instead. "Development and clean, breathable air should not be mutually exclusive," Ezekiel says.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	It's TED Talks Daily. I'm Elise Hugh. You wouldn't be listening to this podcast right now without electricity, but millions of people in Africa remain in the dark, many hours of the day because of the lack of reliable energy.
0:17.6	In his talk recorded for the Countdown Summit in 2021, climate inclusion activist Chibese
0:22.7	Ezekiel shares his vision for a sustainable energy system for his part of Africa, one that's
0:29.4	not reliant on cheap and dirty coal.
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1:00.9	Palisade by Lou Gilmonde.
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1:09.7	About 600 million people in Africa still don't have reliable access to electricity.
1:15.6	And energy shortages are still a part of daily life.
1:20.6	Africa needs energy, a lot of energy.
1:24.6	But the question is what kind of energy? I want to tell your story. My name is
1:31.5	Chibizzi, Ezekiel, and I work with a Strategic Youth Network for Development. In 2013,
1:38.6	the government of my country, Ghana, began consultations to construct a coal plant, a 700 megawatt coal plant meant to be cited
1:48.0	at a Confir district, a coastal fishing community in the central region of Ghana.
1:54.4	It would have required a $1.5 billion U.S. dollar loan from the China African Development Bank. And because Ghana has no
2:03.5	coal reserves, the project made provision to import 2 million tons of coal annually from South
2:09.8	Africa. So I ask again, Ghana and Africa need energy. but what kind of energy?
2:18.3	In Africa, job creation and economic opportunities are their priority.
	...

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