If only 0,3% of the Sahara dessert will be used for a solar panel park this will generate enough energy for Europe for a year.
In the summer of 2009 a group of mainly German companies launched the DESERTEC initiative, a large network of sustainable energy sources for the European market. A large part of the plan is the import of solar energy from North African countries.
Algeria is preparing for the future. It is now building a factory for the production of solar panels.
News about Africa is very often filled with stereotyped images of famine, war and disease. But there is also another side to the continent. Fast-growing economies and investment opportunities. The Dutch production company Interactive Africa focuses its lens precisely on the innovative side of Africa with its online video reports Spark Africa.
Also visit: www.africa-interactive.com
Spark Africa is about innovative developments you hear little about. All the items are produced by African journalists and cameramen which creates a different dynamics compared to when a white European crew is used. Among other fascinating reports comprising this 20-episodes video series, we take a look at how for example an entrepreneur from Friesland in the Netherlands has established a successful dairy business in Tanzania and how students from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, came about to invent a bicycle charger for mobile phones. The video reportages are a mix of portraits of Dutch entrepreneurs in Africa, African inventors and reports on fast-growing industries like the outsourcing of ICT work in Africa.
