- Over 600 million Africans have no access to electricity.
- Africa needs $190 billion of investment a year between 2026 and 2030.
According to the Sustainable Development Goal 7 tracking report, Africa is unlikely to meet the SDG7 targets. To achieve its energy and climate goals, Africa needs $190 billion of investment a year between 2026 and 2030, with two-thirds of this going to clean energy, the Energy Agency (IEA) said. Over 600 million Africans have no access to electricity, with the lowest power consumption per capita globally in sub-Saharan Africa at 370 kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually compared with 6,500 kWh (Europe) & 11,000 kWh (United States). Also, Universal access to energy is crucial for achieving SDGs, including poverty eradication (SDG1) & climate resilience (SDG13). Just energy transition in Africa must consider past emissions & how they shape future emission trajectories.
At 46 per cent in 2020, the share of fossil-based energy sources in Africa’s energy mix is relatively modest compared with the percentage in other global regions.
The report shows that Africa’s energy investment needs are immense. The UN says that while a more significant share of the global population gained access to electricity in the last decade, the number of people without electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa increased. However, to achieve universal electricity access for the nearly 1.3 billion Africans, some 600 million of whom are off the grid, an annual investment of between $32 billion and $40 billion should be pumped into the energy value chain.
The World Bank, IEA and other partners have called on developed economies to provide more support to develop the energy and renewables sector in developing economies, including Africa. Experts have added that resolving Africa’s energy poverty will require greater collaboration between African countries on developing energy infrastructure.