Zim not among least developed nations

Source: Zim not among least developed nations – DailyNews Live

STAFF WRITER      30 November 2017

HARARE – Zimbabwe is not considered a least developed country (LDC),
according to a report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD).

African Capacity Building Foundation’s knowledge expert, Barassou Diawara,
said for a country not to be considered an LCD, its gross national income
per capita must be $1 035 or more.

“There is also a human assets criterion, which involves indicators such as
adult literacy ratios and secondary school enrolment,” said Diawara said
at the launch of the 2017 LDC report by UNCTAD.

“The third criterion is of economic vulnerability due to varying shocks.
For a country to be least developed, two or more of these have to be met
and Zimbabwe does not”.

Forty-seven countries are in the LCD category, with 34 of them being from
Africa.

They include Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda, Lesotho, Bangladesh and Yemen.

The report notes that 82 percent of people living in rural areas do not
have access to electricity.

In Zimbabwe’s case, 60 percent were without power.

Diawara said the goal of universal access to electricity by 2030 is mostly
dependent on progress made in LDC.

According to the report, urbanisation is also proving to be a huge
challenge to achieving universal access to power, as more urban dwellers
go without electricity.

“Overall, achieving universal access in LD’s by 2030 would require grid
extension to reach an estimated 571 million more people, mini grids to
serve 341 million and standalone systems for 114 million.

“Mini-grids are thus likely to play a key role in rural electrification in
LDCs for which there are favourable historical precedents in India and
China,” reads part of the report.

Former Energy minister Samuel Undenge, pictured, is on record saying the
six percent electrification levy that the Rural Electrification Fund gets
through electricity sales and fiscal allocation by government is not
adequate to accelerate or sustain the programme.