Rural Energy in Africa
A major challenge for Africa is overcoming the lack of access in rural Africa to modern energy services, which in turn is a substantial obstacle to economic development and poverty allevation. Improved access would boost living standards and facilitate agricultural and industrial development.

RuralEnergy21 was launched in Amsterdam in 2004 to explore how the international community can be more effective in supporting rural energy projects. When a project fails, what is far more serious than the waste of money is the waste of opportunity for the rural population. And yet projects continue to fail with disturbing regularity. RuralEnergy21 attempts to answer Why? and establish whether these failures can be prevented.

The conclusion of the Amsterdam seminar was that future seminars should look more closely at how governments, multi-laterals, NGOs, and the private sector can co-operate innovatively to produce sustainable rural energy projects. The quandary of the past cannot continue.

RuralEnergy21 Supporters
RuralEnergy21 was launched in 2004 with the support of the Dutch Government and Shell Foundation.
Shell Foundation and FMO are supporting the 2005 seminar.

RuralEnergy21 Programme
To download the 2005 RuralEnergy21 programme please click here.

RuralEnergy21 Report
To download the 2005 RuralEnergy21
report please click here.

If you have questions regarding RuralEnergy21 2005 seminar, please contact Bruno Cockburn. Please note that the 2006 seminar has been changed to EnergyAccess21.