Africa must get out of fossil fuel 'traps and lies'

The main fossil fuels are coal, crude oil and natural gas. [iStockphoto]

Today, one of the major challenges facing Africa is energy poverty. At least 600 million people lack access to electricity, while 900 million still rely on unclean energy sources to cook.

Besides dirtying the air, energy sources such as charcoal, wood fuel and kerosene are responsible for in-house pollution and caused or worsened respiratory diseases. The worst have been deaths by suffocation from burning charcoal, or fire gutting houses, sometimes having human casualties. Effects of deforestation also begin to show.