RPT-Africa needs $93 bln/yr for infrastructure -report

(Repeats story from Nov. 11 with no changes, adds website)

* Simple efficiency gains could narrow funding gap

* Electricity supply is most pressing infrastructure problem

* Power, water, phone costs high by global standards

By Ed Cropley

JOHANNESBURG, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Sub-Saharan Africa needs to double its infrastructure spending to $93 billion a year, 15 percent of regional output, to drag its road, water and power networks into the 21st century, a report said on Thursday.

The research compiled by the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa (ICA) identified the continent's woeful electricity grids as its most pressing challenge, with 30 countries facing regular blackouts and high premiums for emergency power.

Despite the gulf between its target figure and the $45 billion spent now, the report said governments could narrow the funding gap to $31 billion by making $17 billion in relatively simple efficiency gains, such as making more electricity users pay their bills.