The health intervention that has saved more lives than any other in recorded history - water, sanitation and hygiene - remains alarmingly absent in global health care.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, poor infrastructure cuts national economic growth by two percentage points every year and reduces productivity by as much as 40%.
Eastern and southern African countries are harmonising their energy regulatory frameworks, in an initiative supported by the EU's European Development Fund (EDF).
A new report on renewable power from the International Energy Agency (IEA) shows that solar is providing new opportunities for households and businesses, and predicts that Africa's off-grid solar capacity will triple in the next five years to more than 3,000MW.
Power utilities are a very important part of the chain for delivering electrical power to end users. They are vital for extending grid-based power to consumers, to ensure regular and efficient power supply, and to ensure money flows through the entire power sector. The problem is that across Africa, the vast majority of power utilities are effectively bankrupt.
The time has come to introduce new and different funding models to supplement venture financing in Africa. One model in particular - equity crowdfunding - may be of potential benefit, given its applicability to emerging markets.
Governments, multilateral agencies and development-financing officials are usually pretty clear-eyed about the huge economic potential that could be unlocked by getting Africa better connected. But doing this is easier said than done among 54 countries spread across a land mass that could take in China, India, the United States mainland and still have room for most of Europe.
