Program Leadership

Lighting Africa: The Joining of Institutions

Lighting Africa is a World Bank Group (WBG) program, managed by a joint World Bank and IFC team, working together globally and locally in Africa to manage and implement the program, supported by a host of organizational partners.   

About the World Bank

The World Bank is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world,with the mission of global poverty reduction and the improvement of living standards.  Thus, it is not a "bank" in the common sense.  Rather, it is made up of two unique development institutions owned by 185 member countries- the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA).  Each institution plays a different but supportive role in this mission.  The IBRD focuses on middle income and creditworthy poor countries, while IDA focuses on the poorest countries in the world.  Together, they work to provide low-interest loans, interest-free credit, and grants to developing countries for education, health, infrastructure, communications, and other needed services.  In turn, the World Bank aims to help build the climate needed to support sustainable investment, job creation, and economic growth, by investing in and empowering poor people to participate in thier own development. 

For more information, please visit: www.worldbank.org

About IFC                                                                                

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, fosters sustainable economic growth in developing countries by financing private sector investment, mobilizing capital in the international financial markets, and providing advisory services to businesses and governments.  IFC's work is motivated by the vision that the poor deserve the opportunity to escape poverty and improve their lives. 

Upholding values of excellence, commitment, integrity, and teamwork, IFC works specifically to:

     * Promote open and competitive markets in developing countries
     * Support companies and other private sector partners
     * Generate productive jobs and deliver basic services
     * Create opportunity for people to escape poverty and improve their lives

For more information, please visit: www.ifc.org

Lighting Africa Partners: 

   * Global Environment Facility (GEF)
    * Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP)*
    * Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF)
    * Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP)
    * Department for International Development (DFID)
    * Asia Sustainable & Alternative Energy Program (ASTAE)
    * Good Energies, Inc.
    * Norway
    * Luxembourg
    * Netherlands
 

* ESMAP is a knowledge partnership supported by the World Bank and official donors from Australia, Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the U.N. Foundation. ESMAP has also enjoyed the support of private donors, as well as in-kind support from a number of partners in the energy and development community