article_snippet: Ethiopia's per capita income might be one of the lowest in the world, but Ethiopia has enjoyed an impressive economic growth since 2000, averaging 10.9% annually, which has resulted in a 33% reduction of people living in poverty.
article_snippet: Negatu says that this would make Ethiopia the largest exporter of power in Africa, and second only to South Africa when it comes to installed capacity.
article_snippet: A lack of reliable power has long stunted Africa's development, with 600 million people on the continent not connected to the grid and getting by on a mix of generators, kerosene lamps and candles.
article_snippet: In Ethiopia, only 15 to 20% of the population has access to power according to a study by Chatham House.
article_snippet: It's Africa's Achilles' heel," says Negatu.
article_snippet: With anyone who wants to build a factory in Africa, the first thing anyone who wants to build a factory in Africa ask is infrastructure, and within infrastructure, whether there is sufficient electricity.
article_snippet: [dam] adds that, after depending on exporting raw commodities for decades, governments across Africa should be pursuing a strategy of industrialization, following the example of China.
article_snippet: We've got to move up the value chain, and it's what Ethiopia is doing right now.
article_snippet: Ethiopia strategy is industrial-based -- not to export commodities but to manufacture value-added things, and other African nations are trying to emulate that.
article_snippet: But without electricity there won't be industrialization in Africa.
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