Person:
Blimpo, Moussa

Office of the Regional Chief Economist, Africa, The World Bank
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Fields of Specialization
Economics of Education, Public Economics, Energy Economics, Electricity Access, Human Capital
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Office of the Regional Chief Economist, Africa, The World Bank
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Last updated: March 13, 2023
Biography
Moussa P. Blimpo is a Senior Economist in the Office of the Chief Economist for the Africa Region (AFRCE) of the World Bank. Prior to this, he was an assistant professor of economics and international studies at the University of Oklahoma. His research interests cover a range of policy-relevant questions concerning African economies. His recent research and publications address issues of electricity access in Sub-Saharan Africa, the role of disruptive technologies on the prospects of African economies to leapfrog and address key development challenges, and human capital acquisition in African countries. He holds a PhD in economics from New York University and spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University’s Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR). He founded, and led between 2011 and 2015, the Center for Research and Opinion Polls (CROP), a think tank based in Togo.
Citations 19 Scopus

Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Publication
    Why Are Connection Charges So High?: An Analysis of the Electricity Sector in Sub-Saharan Africa
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2018-04) McRae, Shaun; Blimpo, Moussa; Steinbuks, Jevgenijs
    This study develops and structurally estimates a model of household and electric utility behavior to describe how the low access rates and high connection charges that are common in the Sub-Saharan Africa region arise from regulated electricity tariffs being set too low. As a result, the utilities lose money on each connected customer and low electricity consumption by households makes it difficult to recover the cost of providing a connection. For each possible choice of the regulated tariff, the optimal upfront connection charge is computed that will maximize profits for the utility in its service territory. Higher tariffs are associated with lower optimal connection charges and higher electrification rates. Nonetheless, due to households' low willingness to pay for electricity services, the equilibrium electrification rates in the model are much lower than 100 percent. Future advances in electrification will require higher incomes, increased coverage of the distribution network, and lower connection costs.