Philips Lighting Egypt inaugurated a "Community Light Centre" at the Salah El Din School in Cairo's Ezebt El Hagganna slum area. The company announced that the centre is lit using a new generation of energy efficient solar powered with Light-emitting diode (LED) lighting. The company stated that the Light Centre has an area of 1000square meters. This is the second installation in Egypt; the first was in Moqattam district in 2012. " The concept of the ‘Community Light Centres' is to create areas of light for rural communities which live without electricity, thus effectively ‘extending the day' using the power of the sun thus providing safety and security and enabling community life after dark," the company said in an official statement. Philips is committed to installing 100 Community Light Centres in off-grid areas across Africa by 2015. The CEO of Philips Egypt and General Manager of Philips Lighting Egypt & Sudan Tamer Abol Ghar said that Africa is increasing its reliance on solar power as it helps with plans to provide lights for those without electricity while saving energy. "Dramatic advances are being made in the efficiency of LED lighting and this is going to speed up social and economic development across the continent," Abol Ghar said. "We are introducing the first generation of solar powered LED lighting solutions which can provide high quality, sustainable and reliable lighting for off-grid communities throughout Egypt and Africa," he added. Abol Ghar mentioned that following the company's first Community Light Centre installation "local reactions have been extremely positive". Governor of Cairo Galal Saeed was present during the Community Light Centre inauguration, where he commended the international lighting solutions company. The company stated that it is partnering with United Nations Women Safe Cities programme and Royal Netherlands Football Association (KNVB) to enhance the lives of the Ezebt El Haggana community. According to Philips, the Community Light Centre is a communal area which can be used to provide lighting for various projects such as healthcare clinics, education, evening classes and commercial activities. The Light Centre helps in providing light for areas that lack proper lighting after dark.
