Benson Ireri

Aug 30, 2024 | wri.org | Jing Song |Benson Ireri

The world is far off-track to meet its shared goal of providing affordable, reliable and sustainable energy to all people by 2030. Indeed, the number of people without electricity access increased in 2022 for the first time in a decade, rising from 675 million in 2021 to 685 million the next year. Eighty percent of people without electricity access — and 18 of the 20 countries with the biggest energy access deficits — are in sub-Saharan Africa.

Feb 2, 2024 | wri.org | Benson Ireri

By Benson Ireri and H.E Hon. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr. CBS Cover Image by: Joerg Boethling/Alamy Stock Photo Access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa has improved tremendously over the last decade, reaching 49.4% of the population in 2022, up from 33% in 2010. Yet, while electricity access has grown, electricity consumption has not. While this would be considered a good thing in much of the world, for Africa, it is a discouraging indicator of lagging economic development.