Through the years of hydro power development in Africa, countries have been tempted to favour large “prestige” projects which receive a maximum of publicity, e.g., Volta Lake in Ghana, the Aswan High Dam in Egypt and Kariba in Zambia/Zimbabwe. There was nothing wrong with this approach, since the power was needed and financing was available. But over the years these obvious sites with large hydro potential have been mostly developed, and now a more systematic approach has to be used. Virtually all of the countries in Africa are being encouraged to make “system studies”, if they have not done so already. A power system study is highly complex, and there is a need for much basic data on potential sites, rainfall and runoff, load growth, and fuel costs and availability, in order to make reasoned decisions as to where and how the power should be developed.
Some countries have already engaged consultants to do these studies, at least in a preliminary way, and the World Bank is making provision for acquiring additional information before further financing is considered for specific projects. The result will be a better integrated development of thermal, hydro electric, and other forms of power in most of the countries of the region. In the hydro sector it will result in a rational development, involving developing the lowest cost sites first.
