Africa faces a major challenge: more than 600 million people have no access to electricity. Governments across the continent are prioritising investment in the electricity sector to stimulate socio-economic growth and industrialisation, in line with UN Sustainable Development Goal 7, which aims to ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern electricity services.
North African countries take the lead as the most electrified in Africa
Egypt stands out for its remarkable achievement of 100% national access to electricity, based on hydroelectric and thermal power stations and advances in renewable energy. Projects to export surplus electricity demonstrate Egypt’s potential as a regional energy leader.
Similarly, Morocco can boast 100% domestic access, capitalising on its renewable energy potential, particularly solar power, with ambitious plans to increase the share of renewables in its energy mix.
Tunisia and Algeria have achieved near-universal access rates, focusing on natural gas and investment in renewable energies for long-term sustainability.
Some countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have also achieved interesting outcomes
Countries such as Gabon, Ghana and South Africa face varying levels of access higher than 80%, underlining the need to diversify energy sources. Gabon’s emerging policy aims to develop a sustainable energy mix to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, while Ghana and South Africa are developing renewables to reduce dependence on coal.
Botswana’s dependence on imported coal and oil underlines the importance of national targets to achieve 100% access to electricity by 2030, using abundant wind and solar resources.
Kenya leads East Africa with a high access rate, thanks to its diverse renewable energy mix, positioning it as a regional leader in renewable energy.
Senegal is focusing on achieving universal access to electricity by 2025, drawing on a variety of energy sources and new gas-to-electricity projects.