635m Africans without electricity, says IEA

International Energy Administration (IEA) has put the number of people without electricity in sub-Saharan Africa at 635 million.

This it noted, represents two-thirds of the population in sub-Saharan Africa.

IEA expects the figure to drop to 500 million by 2040.

To increase access to electricity, IEA therefore, called on leaders and governments in sub-Saharan Africa to bring about reforms that would attract investors into the energy sector.

The Executive Director of IEA, Dr. Faith Birol, who made this disclosure in a paper on the Role of Energy Access in Meeting Africa’s Sustainable Development Agenda, said that partnership and investments made by governments and companies outside of Africa, are ssential for the continent.

Birol stated: “The importance of energy access for sustainable development is being recognised by the international community: Action is underway, and low energy prices offer the opportunity to accelerate this action, and in a sustainable way.

“Current trends suggest some markets in sub-Saharan Africa are poised to leapfrog to an economic development paradigm based on affordable renewable, which could meet almost two-thirds of demand growth over the period to 2020”.

Birol sees Africa becoming a mainstay of global oil production and emerging as a major player in natural gas, anchored by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) export in the nearest future.

He noted that major discoveries in Nigeria, Mozambique and Tanzania are signs that the continent has the capacity to be top players in the energy market.

Birol stated: “The African continent in hugely rich in resources, with major energy producers, including Nigeria for oil and gas, Angola for oil and South Africa for coal.

“In recent years, there have been major oil and gas discoveries across the continent: Africa has led the world in discoveries since 2012, with large gas discoveries in Mozambique and Tanzania, oil and gas discoveries in Angola and Nigeria, and the very important Zohr discovery by Eni last year in Egypt.

“In the future, we see Africa remaining a mainstay of global oil production and emerging as a major player in natural gas, anchored by LNG export. But just as importantly, if not more importantly, are the huge untapped renewable energy resources. Less than 10 per cent of the region’s hydropower potential has been tapped so far, and wind and solar energy potential are abundant”.

Beyond electricity, the IEA said the importance of access to clean, modern cooking fuels is a critical issue, one which affects four-fifths of sub-Saharan Africans, but receives far less attention than electrification.

“Biomass used in a traditional way for cooking, in open, smoky fires, is a massive contributor to air pollution, which is the biggest environmental threat to human life, responsible for 5.5 million deaths every year in the world”, he added.

He noted that there is almost universal access to electricity in North Africa, but in sub-Saharan Africa, 635 million people – two-thirds of the population – live without electricity. “This is a population around ten times the whole population of Italy. Of those with electricity, for many, supply is not reliable or affordable. This is important because the primary purpose of our energy system is to enable a better quality of life.

“To those that have it, modern energy unlocks access to better healthcare, better education, better economic opportunities and, even, longer life. To those that don’t have it, it is a major constraint on their social and economic development”, he said.