Philips lights up Africa

Philips made this announcement at the concluding leg of its third consecutive Cairo to Cape Town road show 2012, which has focused on topics relating to key challenges facing Africa and how new innovations can address these: Mother and Child Care, energy efficient LED and solar lighting solutions.

Providing light after dark

The light centres, the first 40 of which are scheduled for installation in late 2012, will be focused on schools which are closely linked to villages and towns in off-grid or semi-grid areas (this can also include parts of cities). They will provide communal areas which can be used for sport and many other activities - healthcare, education, social, and commerce. They will extend the day by enabling communal life after dark, create safe areas and support sanitation.

Philips has committed an investment of €1.2 million (spread over three years) to this project. Maintenance would be self-sustaining as local authority/owners can rent out the light or advertising space and generate an income. An announcement on which sites and in which countries the light centres will be installed will follow by October 2012.

Philips has already completed installing light centre's in a number of African countries (Egypt, Morocco, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa ) during its Cairo to Cape Town road show 2012. The setup includes four 8m poles fixed in the ground and hoisting four LED lights which consume less power than a 60W light bulb and provide around 20 lux of cold white light across an area of 1000m². Philips has been working on this development for a couple of years. In November 2009 the company enabled the World's first soccer game to be played under solar powered LED floodlighting in Nairobi, Kenya.

"Local reactions have been extremely positive", says Garrett Forde, president of Philips Lighting, Europe, Middle East and Africa. "Philips' aim is to create awareness for what is now possible. We are introducing the first generation of solar powered LED lighting solutions which can provide high quality, sustainable and reliable lighting for off-grid communities in Africa; indeed the world. It is now a question of how much the world is willing to invest"

Sustainable Energy for All

The new light centre initiative also serves as a commitment to action by Philips in support of the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon's Sustainable Energy for All initiative. This initiative has one goal, sustainable energy for all, and three complimentary objectives, all to be achieved by 2030

1. Ensure universal access to modern energy services,
   
2. Double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency and,
   
3. Double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
   

"Philips is to be commended for this innovative new initiative", said Kandeh Yumkella, director general of the UN Industrial Development Organisation and co-chair of the High-level Group on Sustainable Energy for All. "Sustainable energy for all is about opportunity - opportunities to learn and live healthy and productive lives. The private sector plays a key role in the implementation of this initiative, and Philips' work will help us achieve our goal of sustainable energy for all by 2030."

Some 1.6 billion people worldwide have no access to electricity. At the same time for people living near the equator, darkness falls around 7pm all year round, slowing down or completely stopping many vital tasks. Philips' aim is to simply enhance life with light.

The Philips Cairo to Cape Town road show 2012 started in Cairo on 14 May and has made its way across eleven countries and seventeen cities in Africa. During the road show, in addition to showcasing its new innovations, Philips has engaged with customers, governments, NGOs and media on topics relating to key challenges facing Africa today.

For more, go to www.philips.com/africaroadshow