Providing Sustainable Electricity to Urban Informal Settlements of the Global South
Event Summary
Providing basic services to informal urban settlements has been a historical challenge for cities of the global south. One of the defining features of ‘informality’ in settlements has been their lack of access to basic services. This seminar complicates that discussion by asking how to marry the concerns of sustainability and steady electricity provision in informal urban settlements. Dr. Mensah will present his research on electricity provision in Accra’s slums, while Dr. Kitio will focus on the overall macro picture of fitting sustainability into service provision in informal settlements of the global south. In particular, the seminar features research conducted by Eugenie L. Birch, co-Director of Penn’s Institute for Urban Research, and James Mensah entitled “Powering the Slum” and funded by the Kleinman Centre for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania.
This event is part of Energy Week at Penn. Check out the rest of the 2023 programming at energyweek.upenn.edu.
James Kwame Mensah
Senior Lecturer, University of Ghana Business SchoolJames Kwame Mensah is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Public Administration and Health Services Management at the University of Ghana Business School. Mensah also serves as the Chief Local Economic Development and Resilient Advisor to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly where he played a majo
Vincent Kitio
Architect, Chief, Urban Energie Unit, UN-HabitatVincent Kitio is an architect and holds a PhD in Appropriate Energy Technologies for Developing Countries. He heads the Urban Energy Unit of UN-HABITAT.
Eugenie Birch
Lawrence C. Nussdorf Chair of Urban Research and EducationEugénie L. Birch is co-director of the Penn Institute for Urban Research, Lawrence C. Nussdorf Chair of Urban Research and Education, and chair of the Graduate Group in City and Regional Planning.