Central African governments are pushing for a cross-border response to meet the region's swelling need for new energy supplies, which aims to fight poverty and climate change at the same time.

Large parts of Central Africa have big potential to generate hydro-electric power, which could help pull more than 700 million people out of poverty, officials say.

Insufficient energy supplies have been a major hurdle on the region's path towards economic growth.

According to Cameroon's energy and water minister, Atangana Kouna, low access to energy has hampered efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals, contributing to acute poverty and high child malnutrition rates.

"The Central African region is facing a huge development setback that can be addressed through investments in energy supply and energy infrastructure," the minister said in a meeting that endorsed an implementation plan for a regional energy strategy in Yaounde last November.

The plan, which runs through to 2030, has since been approved by energy ministers from the Economic Community of Central African States.

The Central African Power Pool, which organised the Yaounde gathering, will coordinate the inter-state electricity connection project, based on a $4.6 million study funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB).

Authorities say the project will provide a regional response to Central Africa's energy and development challenges, curb greenhouse gas emissions, and give a boost to the emerging economies of Cameroon, Gabon, Chad, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Equatorial Guinea.

"It will help countries... have expanding access to hydro-electric power while participating in a global transition to clean, low-carbon energy systems," said Pierre Marie Ngnike, an environmental expert in Cameroon's ministry of water and energy.

The plan includes a 700 km interconnection line between Ngaoundéré and Maroua in Cameroon and N'Djamena in Chad, and a second section around 250 km long linking the two countries.

Rural Connections The scheme will also put in place rural electrification along the corridors of the new transmission lines, connecting local communities to a power supply.

According to Cameroon's ministry of water and energy, electricity access rates are only 18 percent in Cameroon and as low as 3 percent in Chad.

Yet both countries have rich energy resources, which remain unharnessed. Cameroon has economically viable hydropower potential of over 12,000 MW, of which only around 6 percent has been tapped.

Meanwhile, the Chadian government has begun to develop oil production, eyeing medium-term opportunities to generate electricity from petroleum gas. It hopes to export power to Cameroon, especially during dry periods.

Another grid interconnection project between Cameroon, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea aims to promote energy exchanges, making power cheaper for users. This will entail the construction of a high-tension overhead power line and is being funded by the AfDB to the tune of $150 million.

In addition, work is underway on a new 3,800 km transmission line that will run from DRC to South Africa through Angola and Namibia, due to be completed by 2018.

The purpose is to feed electricity to be generated by the Inga III and Grand Inga hydropower schemes in western DRC into the Southern Africa Power Pool.

This programme includes an option to extend the line to Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon and Chad.