ABB: Providing "Access to Electricity"

It was also estimated that by 2030, 1.4 billion people worldwide would still not have access to electricity. The ATE program was conceived as ABB's response to the United Nations 'Global Compact'. ABB joined hands with UN organizations, governments, NGOs and industry partners as part of the ATE initiative. "Access to electricity is of key importance in the fight against poverty. It is a key enabler and precursor for sustainable development," explained Christian Kornevall (Kornevall), Senior Vice President, Sustainability Affairs, ABB. ABB commenced its ATE program in the village of Ngarambe in Tanzania, a country where only five to ten percent of the population had access to power...

The development activities in the region contributed to the sustainable use of natural resources around the village. Electricity brought in tangible benefits to the village. The power generated was used to light up the school, dispensary, local government office, mosque, small businesses and a number of homes in the village. The local school stay opened at night, providing access to education for working students. The number of pupils increased from 250 to 350 after the arrival of electricity. The local dispensary also started operating at night and the doctor in the dispensary planned to install a refrigerator for medicines. This was expected to eliminate the 70-km journey that patients were earlier required to make in order to access medical help...