Access by ordinary people to energy is critical to economic growth, sustainable development and poverty alleviation in East Africa, said a senior official of the East African Community (EAC).

Kipyego Cheluge, deputy secretary-general in the EAC Secretariat, said in Arusha where the EAC headquarters seats, that the EAC had developed an initiative aimed at scaling up energy services in the three member states, according to reports reaching here on Monday.

The initiative starting this year seeks to meet the regional energy demand by 50 percent by 2015.

"Currently a small proportion of inhabitants of EAC partner states have access to modern energy services such as electricity," said the deputy EAC secretary-general.

Biomass like wood and charcoal is still the main source of energy in rural areas and for a wide portion of urban dwellers as well in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, the three EAC member states that combine to have a population of 90 million.

The EAC initiative will not only aim at replacing traditional biomass with modern fuel but also at rendering cooking and heating equipment using biomass sustainable.

The EAC initiative also aims at making available electricity for all schools, clinics, hospitals and community centers.

Source: Xinhua