Africa 2030: Roadmap for a renewable energy future
Africa has seen rapid economic growth this century, with a corresponding increase in the demand for energy. Keeping pace with rising energy needs is at the top of the agenda for policy makers, to enable economic growth and extend access to modern energy to those lacking it now. These are not easy challenges. Supply lags demand, and in as many as
30 countries in Africa recurrent electricity outages and load shedding are the norm. About 600 million people in Africa do not have access to electricity, and approximately 730 million people rely on traditional uses of biomass (IEA, 2014a).
As Figure 1 shows, different regions face different challenges. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita is generally three to five times higher in North Africa, where less than 2% of the population is without access to electricity. In contrast, about half of people in West Africa and three quarters in East Africa and most of Southern Africa lack access to electricity (although only 15% in South Africa lack electricity access). North Africa on average consumes eight times more electricity per capita than the rest of the continent, excluding South Africa.