USTDA Grants $1 Million To Support Battery Storage Project In Africa
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Running Africa.
This is the first two paragraphs.
The United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), an independent body of the US government, has reportedly issued a grant of just under USD 1 million to support feasibility studies for large-scale battery storage schemes in Senegal and Mozambique.
Notably, these large-scale battery storage projects have been grouped with wind energy in Mozambique in Southeast Africa as well as Senegal in West Africa.
A Dutch company seems to be doing the development.
We need more aid projects like these, as with electricity and clean water life can be so much better!
IKEA Gives More To The Philippines Than China
Hard to believe, but it’s true, and is fully reported in the Guardian.
China has given $2m, whilst IKEA has given $2.7m.
Japan, the United States and Australia have given a lot more.
Checking Foreign Aid
There has been a lot of discussion in the last day or so about foreign aid and whether it is worth it.
A few years ago, I went to a presentation by a senior manager in Unicef.
They said, one of the biggest problem, was checking that aid was spent correctly. Ask the government if the £2million had been spent on say measles immunisation and you would get the answer the government wanted you to hear.
So Unicef always asked an independent organisation, such as a University to check. Even in some of the poorest and less academic countries, academic standards usually ensured that Unicef got an honest answer, they could trust.
The British government should use similar methods to check all aid is correctly spent on what it was intended.
The Anonymous Widower 