LUSAKA, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) on Monday called for accelerating access to clean and affordable energy.

Mohamed Kadah, assistant secretary general of the COMESA, said that the region suffers from chronic underinvestment in energy infrastructure, with many utilities facing financial difficulties, leading to frequent power outages and load-shedding.

Kadah made the remarks at the opening of Accelerating Sustainable and Clean Energy Access Transformation (ASCENT) Week, underway Sept. 22-26, where over 300 energy leaders from Eastern and Southern Africa are gathered to discuss ways to expand clean, affordable energy to more than 100 million people.

"The falling costs of solar, wind and hydropower offer an opportunity to leapfrog fossil fuels -- especially since Africa enjoys abundant solar irradiance and wind potential," said Kadah.

The ASCENT program, a joint initiative of COMESA and the World Bank, is a 5-billion-dollar project aiming to electrify 100 million people in the region by 2030 through grid and off-grid renewable solutions adapted to local needs.

While the energy access gap remains one of the region's greatest vulnerabilities, closing this gap represents one of Africa's greatest opportunities, said Kadah. ■