Sperm Leaving The Viginia

Energy and MDGs in Cameroon

In order to engage the 21st century under good auspices, the United Nations member states agreed to eight goals essential to achieve by 2015: eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education for all; promote gender equality and empower women, reduce child mortality, improving maternal health, combating HIV / AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability develop a global partnership for development.

To give a prominent place in the energy services strategies reduction of poverty , four positive aspects related to the political will of States and the international community have been identified (Covindassamy, 2003):

- The direct or indirect importance given to energy reduction poverty through NEPAD, as well as its specification in the MDGs, and the action plan of the Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg [1] ;

- The recognition by States of the role of energy as a key factor in achieving the goals relating to health, access water, education and environmental protection

- The search for alternatives by governments and donors for sustainable management of forest resources and rational use of wood, the main source energy particularly in rural areas;

- Interest of donors, including the World Bank to fund projects on energy services directly focused on reducing poverty.

energy relationship''and'' MDGs in Cameroon will be analyzed through eight goals, special emphasis will be placed on electric power.

MDG 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

L increase in access to electricity has two direct effects: it allows the increase of production through the use of machines that increase crop yields and is also behind the proliferation of income generating activities and jobs that lead to increase rural household incomes. This revenue increase agricultural production and contribute to improved living conditions, and thus reducing poverty and hunger. Increasing access to electricity occurs first, through an increased supply of electricity, and the intensification of serving the other. The latter takes the form of subsidization of 288,300 social connections, which allow 30% of poor rural areas and 60% from that of suburban areas have access to electricity for domestic purposes and professional.

MDG 2: Achieve universal primary education

It is about giving all children, boys and girls the opportunity to complete a full course of primary . The electrical energy in schools promotes teachers, improve the living conditions of teachers and students (lighting, radio, television, study at night), and allows access to ICTs, including equipment need electricity. Given that 65% of public schools have no electricity, the goal is to serve 60% of social and community facilities (primary and secondary systems, water supply, health centers , social centers, etc..) requirements for lighting, refrigeration, information and communication.

MDG 3: Promote gender equality and empower women

Services promote greater energy education for girls who can free themselves from household chores (search of timber forest, water, etc.). they reduce the cooking time to fuelwood and reduce the effects of smoke inhalation, they can Finally, multiply the income-generating activities by women. The objective in terms of education in Cameroon was to eliminate gender disparities in primary and secondary education in 2005, and if possible at all levels by 2015. In terms of cooking (98.7% of poor households use firewood as the only cooking energy), the objective is to enable people using traditional biomass for their cooking needs, access to improved stoves or LPG to reduce the use of firewood. For this purpose, 10 000 258 000 improved stoves and gas cylinders of 12.5 kg should be available to households to enable 30% of people living in rural areas, and 60% living in poor suburban areas to reduce the use of firewood. Regarding the increase in revenues, 25% of rural population have access to a reliable service and modern energy to meet basic needs such as lighting, communication and small productive activities.

MDG 4: Reduce child mortality

Energy services promote health of mother and child, and the effectiveness of local health services for children young age, allow the storage of vaccines and medicines, and prevent children from inhaling smoke from the use of firewood or kerosene lamps. It is about a 40% reduction by 2015, the mortality rate children under five years. This requires one hand, increased use of modern energy sources by rural households (electricity and cooking gas) and energy supply in hospitals. Given that 68% of rural health centers have no access to electricity, the goal is to increase the supply rate of 100% in the existing structures identified in 2004, 923 integrated health centers.

MDG 5: Improve maternal health

energy services improve maternal health by promoting better coverage (vaccine storage nearby populations), they have improved conditions delivery by the lighting of the rooms and the use of modern equipment, they favor the assignment of specialists in rural areas and improve working conditions in health centers. The objective is to reduce by about 20% the maternal mortality rate.

MDG 6: Combat HIV / AIDS, malaria and other diseases

The goal is to stop the spread of HIV / AIDS to reduce the rate prevalence of 9%, control malaria and other diseases so as to reverse the current trend. Energy services (especially electricity) promote awareness (radio and television), and the care of patients near their places of residence. They help control malaria and other diseases by promoting research and distribution of essential drugs.

MDG 7: Ensure environmental sustainability

Two main targets are concerned here: the halving by 2015 the percentage of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water, improving by 2020 the habitat of Cameroon. Energy services are essential for supply Continuous quality and quantity of drinking water by the use of electric pumps. One of the indicators also ensure environmental sustainability is the proportion of protected areas. Indeed, the exclusive use of firewood as a source of cooking leads each year to the destruction of 100,000 hectares of forest, which constitutes a danger to the environment. In fighting for their survival today, households heavily mortgaging the future and give priority to consumer protection on the natural environment (Gill et al., 1998).

MDG 8: Develop a global partnership for development

This is for the government to facilitate the establishment of a policy of energy management including at least one component improved energy efficiency, renewable energy part, a social component (pricing), a regulatory component of facilitating public-private partnerships, in a context of policy convergence and capacity building.

Source: PANERP and author's comments
[1] Summit held from August 26 to September 4, 2002.
Covindassamy, A . (2003),''Energy Poverty in Africa'', Washington, World Bank, 4p, presented at the Workshop Multisectoral Energy Modern and Poverty Reduction, ENDA-TM, 4-6 February, Dakar.
GILLIS, M., Perkins, DH, ROEMER, M. and SNODGRASS, D. R . (1998), Development Economics, 2nd edition, translation of the 4th American edition. De Boeck, New Horizons.