????對(duì)于撒哈拉以南非洲地區(qū)來(lái)說(shuō)，未來(lái)數(shù)十年里，豐富的能源資源有望成為其強(qiáng)勁增長(zhǎng)的催化劑，但是前提是這些國(guó)家必須推進(jìn)改革并升級(jí)基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施。

????國(guó)際能源署（International Energy Agency）本周發(fā)布的一份報(bào)告顯示，撒哈拉以南非洲地區(qū)的國(guó)家必須實(shí)施改革來(lái)吸引投資者，并投入數(shù)千億美元對(duì)陳舊落后的基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施進(jìn)行升級(jí)改造。

????《非洲能源展望》（African Energy Outlook）報(bào)告發(fā)現(xiàn)，在過(guò)去五年里，全球探明的石油和天然氣有30%來(lái)自撒哈拉以南非洲地區(qū)——該地區(qū)包括撒哈拉沙漠以南的若干國(guó)家。但與此同時(shí)，在當(dāng)?shù)?.15億人口當(dāng)中，僅有2.9億人可以使用電力。這個(gè)人口基數(shù)只會(huì)不斷增長(zhǎng)。

????更糟糕的是，由于電力供應(yīng)不足，該地區(qū)有五分之四的人口主要依靠柴禾和木炭做飯。預(yù)計(jì)到2040年，數(shù)值還將增長(zhǎng)40%，熱帶雨林面臨砍伐過(guò)度的險(xiǎn)境，并且將進(jìn)一步加重室內(nèi)污染問(wèn)題——室內(nèi)污染已成為致使該地區(qū)人口早夭的第二大原因，僅次于艾滋?。ˋIDS）。

????“據(jù)我了解，撒哈拉以南非洲地區(qū)的能源資源非常豐富，但能源供應(yīng)和生產(chǎn)卻極度不足，”國(guó)際能源署首席經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家法蒂赫?比羅爾在接受《財(cái)富》（Fortune）雜志的采訪時(shí)表示。

????他介紹說(shuō)：“這些地區(qū)蘊(yùn)藏著巨大的石油和天然氣發(fā)展?jié)摿?，并且在可再生能源方面，比如水電、風(fēng)能和太陽(yáng)能，潛力也都非?？捎^。而另一方面，非洲人民現(xiàn)有的可用能源卻極度匱乏?！?/p>

????長(zhǎng)期以來(lái)，非洲一直處于能源困境。像赤道幾內(nèi)亞或剛果共和國(guó)等石油、天然氣和礦產(chǎn)資源豐富的國(guó)家，有極少的一部分人富了起來(lái)，但這些國(guó)家腐敗泛濫，多數(shù)市民仍處于貧困之中。此外，能源資源是蘇丹和尼日尼亞等國(guó)家地緣沖突的導(dǎo)火索，同時(shí)也是該地區(qū)長(zhǎng)年發(fā)生政變和政治動(dòng)蕩的原因之一。

????國(guó)際能源署的報(bào)告中顯示，除非各國(guó)采取措施應(yīng)對(duì)能源領(lǐng)域的一系列問(wèn)題，比如解決盛行的石油偷盜（每年為尼日利亞造成損失達(dá)50億美元）和降低電價(jià)（這里是全球電價(jià)最高的地區(qū)之一），否則情況還會(huì)繼續(xù)惡化。另外，腐敗仍是在一些國(guó)家投資的“主要障礙”。

????“這里存在兩個(gè)主要的掣肘——投資匱乏以及政府管理問(wèn)題，”比羅爾表示，該地區(qū)能源業(yè)每年需要大約1.4億美元的投資。

????“有一些投資進(jìn)入該地區(qū)，但是我們的研究顯示，目前非洲有三分之二的投資都是出口相關(guān)項(xiàng)目，而不是服務(wù)于非洲人民，”他評(píng)價(jià)說(shuō)，“在我們看來(lái)，如果政府管理問(wèn)題得不到解決，就不可能吸引投資?！?/p>

????Sub-Saharan Africa’s vast energy resources could be a catalyst for strong growth in the coming decades, but only if countries push through reforms and upgrade their infrastructures.

????According to a report released Monday by the International Energy Agency, countries in the region must enact reforms that will attract investors and spend the hundred of billions needed to upgrade aging and poorly functioning infrastructures.

????The African Energy Outlook found that 30% of global oil and gas discoveries made over the past five years were from sub-Saharan Africa, which includes countries south of the Sahara desert. But at the same time only 290 million out of 915 million people have access to electricity. That figure is only rising.

????Worse, four out of five people in the region depend on firewood and charcoal mainly for cooking due to the lack of electricity. The projection is that figure will rise 40 percent by 2040, putting tropical forests at risk and further contributing to indoor pollution that is already the second biggest cause of premature death behind AIDS in the region.

????“When I look at the continent, sub-Saharan Africa is very rich in energy resources and very poor in energy supply and production,” IEA Chief Economist FatihBirol told Fortune.

????“There is huge potential both for oil and gas and, when it comes to renewables, huge potential for hydropower, wind and solar,” he said. “On the other hand, there is very little energy for the people in Africa.”

????Africa has long been plagued by the resource curse, where abundant oil, gas and minerals in places like Equatorial Guinea or the Republic of Congo have made a select few rich, led to widespread corruption and left the majority of citizens poor. The energy resources have also sparked conflict in countries such as Sudan and Nigeria, and have contributed to years of coups and political unrest.

????That trend is set to continue, the IEA report said, unless countries tackle the range of problems that hinder the energy sector, from widespread oil theft (worth $5 billion a year in Nigeria) to electricity tariffs across the region, which are among the highest in the world. Corruption, too, remains a “major barrier” to investment in some countries.

????“There are two major issues here — the lack of investment and the second one is the governance issue,” Birol said of the need for about $140 million a year across the region for the energy sector.

????“There are investments coming into the region but our study shows that today $2 out of $3 in Africa is for export-related projects not for the Africans,” he said. “We don’t see the investments can come if the governance issue is not fixed.”