By Damien McElroy
Britain is to spend £26 million building a wind farm to power the entire Cape Verde, the isolated archipelago off the west coast of Africa.
With a population of 500,000 stretched over a 1,500 square mile chain of islands, Cape Verde needs a dramatic expansion of its electricity network to support a rapidly expanding tourism industry.
Cape Verde, which is hurricane blighted, has secured British funding for the construction of 40 wind turbines capable of generating 40 megawatts of electricity.
More than one fifth of the population of the former Portuguese colony is desperately poor, living on less than a pound a day.
News of the project emerged as ministers prepared to announce £36 million in British funding for a £396 million scheme to expand electricity generation throughout sub-Saharan Africa through the EU's development agencies.
The region, comprising 48 countries, uses less power than Spain. A submarine cable system will be constructed using the funds to connect 13 counties from Zanzibar to Kenya.
Gareth Thomas, a development minister, will announce the aid package, designed to bolster Africa's capacity to trade in central London this morning (Thurs).
"If Africa is allowed to fall further behind on energy then we risk seeing decades of work to help businesses on the continent undone as they struggle to remain competitive in markets that demand 24-hour attention," he said. "It is vital that African countries work together to ensure they are connected to their neighbours if we are to see the benefits of such industries in the continent.
by Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent
Published: 7:22PM GMT 03 Mar 2010
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/capeverde/7360377/Cape-Verde-to-be-entirely-wind-powered.html