Electricity in Africa: The Politics of Transformation in Uganda(African Issues)

Examines the history of electricity provision in Africa and the effects of privatization and infrastructure changes in energy transformation, offering a critical window into development politics in African states. No country has managed to develop beyond a subsistence economy without ensuring at least minimum access to electricity for the majority of its population. Yet many sub-Saharan African countries struggle to meet demand. Why is this, and what can be done to reduce energy poverty and further Africa's development? Examining the politics and processes surrounding electricity infrastructure, provision and reform, the author provides an overview of historical andcontemporary debates about access in the sub-continent, and explores the shifting role and influence of national governments and of multilateral agencies in energy reform decisions. He describes a challenging political environment for electricity supply, with African governments becoming increasingly frustrated with the rules and the processes of multilateral donors. Civil society also began to question reform choices, and governments in turn looked to new development partners, such as China, to chart a fresh path of energy transformation. Drawing on over fifteen years of research on Uganda, which has one of the lowest levels of access to electricity in Africa and has struggled to construct several, large hydroelectric dams on the Nile, Gore argues that there is a critical need to recognize how the changing political and social context in African countries, and globally, has affected the capacity tofulfil national energy goals, minimize energy poverty and transform economies. Christopher Gore is Associate Professor, Department of Politics and Public Administration, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada. OA EDITION This book has been made available as Open Access through the support of the Office of the Dean, Faculty of Arts, Ryerson University; Ryerson International; and the Department of Politics and Public Administration, Ryerson University.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Electricity, Infrastructure and Dams in Africa The Politics of Provision: A History of Debate and Reform Privatization and Electricity Sector Reform Dam-building and Electricity in Contemporary Uganda Electricity and the Politics of Transformation

About the Author :
CHRISTOPHER GORE is Associate Professor, Department of Politics and Public Administration, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada.

Review :
... should appeal to scholars not only of energy and electricity policy but also of socio-technical transitions and African studies. What is particularly impressive is the attention to the micro-politics of electricity sector reform processes in Uganda whilst drawing on an impressively eclectic range of theoretical resources. Christopher Gore's lively new book, Electricity in Africa, is an excellent case study of one of the continent's most pressing issues: energy availability and consumption. Based on over a decade and a half of research and interviews, Electricity in Africa, part of the praiseworthy African Issues series, reveals the emerging scholarship of energy studies in East Africa, focusing on Uganda because of its uniquely bleak energy situation. Despite its increasing population, Uganda has suffered from one of the lowest levels of electricity access in Africa, and Gore provides a thorough examination of how and why this has occurred. Electricity in Africa helps us understand the complexity of electricity sector reforms. Gore has interacted with many of the key stakeholders in government and in the development community and has a deep understanding of the specifics of the sector as well as of its history and the Uganda context. Christopher Gore's book is a good step in the direction of the desired continental synthesis of two decades of political economy in relation to electricity in African countries. [.] Gore's emphasis on transformation brings fresh air to the discussion.