As access to electricity in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces a significant decline with over 83 per cent of people in the region now lacking electricity from 50 per cent in 2010, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has said urgent actions are needed to power rural communities.

While Nigeria is borrowing heavily to finance electrification, the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), last week, disclosed that there were over 20,000 communities nationwide without electricity supply.

Speaking at the ongoing 6th International Off-Grid Renewable Energy Conference and Exhibition (IOREC) in Gaborone, Botswana, where global leaders, policymakers, and energy experts have gathered to address the challenges of off-grid energy access, IRENA’s Director-General, Francesco La Camera, stressed the need for Africa to accelerate action.

“At the current pace, millions will remain without electricity by 2030. In Southern Africa alone, there is still about a 40 per cent electricity access deficit. This is unacceptable in a world with the technological and financial means to bridge this gap,” he stated.

The energy deficit in SSA has been exacerbated by economic instability, inadequate investment in infrastructure, and a lack of coordinated policies. While off-grid renewable energy solutions have provided electricity to 155 million people worldwide, progress has stagnated in recent years.

IRENA’s latest report highlights that global off-grid renewable capacity has doubled since 2014, reaching 12.9 gigawatts (GW) in 2023. However, despite this progress, Sub-Saharan Africa now accounts for 83 per cent of the global electricity access deficit, up from 50 per cent in 2010.

In Nigeria, energy poverty remains a major challenge, with unreliable grid supply and limited investment in off-grid solutions worsening the situation. Rural communities are disproportionately affected, relying on polluting and expensive alternatives such as generators and firewood.

With a strong emphasis on off-grid renewable energy as a critical solution to the crisis, La Camera insisted that beyond household electrification, solutions must also support productive sectors such as agriculture and healthcare.

Currently, about 30 per cent of the world’s energy is consumed within agri-food value chains, primarily from fossil fuels. Additionally, nearly 1 billion people rely on health facilities without reliable electricity, with 64 per cent of healthcare centres in low-income countries lacking a steady power supply.

La Camera said “Innovative off-grid solutions can power rural hospitals, schools, and businesses, transforming entire communities. The challenge is mobilising financing and scaling up deployment at a faster pace.”

IRENA said the Accelerated Partnership for Renewables in Africa (APRA), a coalition of nine African nations working to mobilise finance and build technical capacity for renewable energy deployment would improve the situation in Africa.