IFC and WB mobilize lighting industry to provide subsaharian Africa.

IFC and World Bank Mobilize Lighting Industry to Provide Off-Grid Lighting to
Sub-Saharan Africa

Contacts: In Washington: Lucie Giraud  --  IFC: Phone:  +1 202 458 4662  --
E-mail: lgiraud@ifc.org  --  Cell phone Ghana: +233 27 385 2768 (May 2-9)

Katia Theriault  --  IFC: Phone:  +1 202 458 4662  --  E-mail:
ktheriault@ifc.org  ---  Cell phone Ghana: +233 27 385 2769 (May 2-9)

Chris Walsh  --  Phone: +1 202 473-4594  --  E-mail: cwalsh@worldbank.org

Roger Morier  --  Phone: +1-2020473-5675  --  E-mail: rmorier@worldbank.org

Washington, D.C., May 2, 2008 〞More than 500 representatives of the lighting
industry, governments, and nongovernmental organizations are meeting in Ghana,
from May 6 to 8, 2008, for the Lighting Africa 2008 conference. The event, the
first global business conference for off-grid lighting in Africa, is part of
the World Bank Group's Lighting Africa program. The goal is to mobilize the
private sector to provide modern off-grid lighting 每 such as Light Emitting
Diodes (LEDs) and Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) - to more than 250 million
people in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030.

The conference provides a forum for international and local lighting industry
entrepreneurs to learn more about the emerging off-grid lighting market in
Sub-Saharan Africa and innovations in the field, while also developing
strategic business partnerships.

"Increasing access to affordable and clean lighting is essential to Africa's
development. Waiting for an expansion of the electricity grid is not an option,
given today's energy concerns. The region's lighting needs are critical and
require innovation and alternative business models," said Anil Cabraal, World
Bank Lead Energy Specialist.

Fuel prices are soaring in Africa and access to electricity remains limited to
only 26 percent of the population. To help address the energy crisis and
respond to consumer needs, the World Bank Group is mobilizing the global
lighting industry and helping entrepreneurs innovate and develop off-grid
non-fuel based lighting solutions, while reducing barriers that interfere with
the private sector's efforts to penetrate the market.

"We expect the Lighting Africa conference to expose some of the many business
opportunities in the Sub-Saharan off-grid lighting market. By building a
coalition between all parties in the industry, we hope to reduce hurdles and
perceived uncertainties that accompany the development of a market as
undiscovered as this one," said Monika Weber-Fahr, IFC Manager of the
Sustainability Business Innovator Group.

Conference highlights will include:
﹞        A Development Marketplace grant competition for the most innovative
off-grid lighting solutions and business models. Companies will compete for
about 20 awards of up to $200,000 each.
﹞        The unveiling of pilot market research in Ghana and Kenya that will
provide critical market and consumer information to entrepreneurs and
investors. Research is also being conducted in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Zambia.
﹞        A trade fair where more than 50 lighting businesses will exhibit
their innovative products.

Lead sponsors include the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program, the
Global Environment Facility, and the Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory
Facility. Other supporters include Good Energies Inc.; the governments of
Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom; the European
Commission; and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership.

Broadcast Quality Video
To obtain a three-minute broadcast video illustrating the lighting problems in
Africa, please contact Mehreen Arshad Sheikh at +1 (202) 458-7336 or
msheikh1@worldbank.org .

Photos
Photos illustrating the lighting problems in Africa and proposed alternatives
by Lighting Africa are available on the Web site under "media kit" at
http://lightingafrica.org/index.cfm?Page=LightingAfrica2008&ap=media .

About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, fosters sustainable economic growth in
developing countries by financing private sector investment, mobilizing private
capital in local and international financial markets, and providing advisory
and risk mitigation services to businesses and governments. IFC's vision is
that poor people should have the opportunity to escape poverty and improve
their lives. In FY07, IFC committed $8.2 billion and mobilized an additional
$3.9 billion through syndications and structured finance for 299 investments in
69 developing countries. IFC also provided advisory services in 97 countries.

For more information, visit IFC at www.ifc.org, the World Bank at
www.worldbank.org, and the Development Marketplace at
www.developmentmarketplace.org

About Lighting Africa
Lighting Africa is a World Bank Group program launched in September 2007 to
catalyze better access to modern lighting services in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its
goal is catalytic: to mobilize the private sector to reach 250 million
energy-poor customers by 2030 with low-cost, reliable, affordable lighting
services as part of achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Lighting Africa
seeks to achieve four objectives: improved low-cost lighting technology and
product innovation; stronger private sector capacity for manufacturing,
marketing, and distribution supply chains; better affordability; and lowering
of transaction costs while mitigating risks. Lighting Africa aims to help offer
better alternatives for consumers that spend $40 billion annually on costly,
inefficient, poor-quality, polluting, fossil fuel-based lighting products, a
category dominated by kerosene lanterns that typically account for 10 to 30
percent of household expenses in Sub-Saharan Africa. For more information,
visit www.lightingafrica.org.