Turning the Lights on Across Africa

Africa is in the midst of a power
crisis. Despite abundant low-carbon, a low-cost energy
resource, Africa faces chronic energy shortages. The
region s power generation capacity is lower than that of any
other region in the world, and when compared with other
developing regions, its capacity growth has stagnated. The
power crisis is the result of several constraints that,
together, create a vicious cycle. Africa's electricity
access is the worst in the world. Almost 70 percent of the
continent s population (nearly 600 million people) and 10
million small- and medium-sized enterprises have no access
to electricity. Sub-Saharan African's(SSA) account for
nearly 45 percent of people lacking electricity across the
globe. Most regions in the world have urban electrification
rates of 90 percent or higher; in SSA, less than 60 percent
of those living in urban areas have electricity. If current
electricity connection trends continue, fewer than 40
percent of SSA countries will reach universal access to
electricity by 2050.