Africa’s Energy Deficit

Over 600 million people across Africa do not have access to electricity; this energy deficit contributes to debilitating economic realities—lowered productivity and higher costs of living.

Written by Otobong Inieke

Apr 26, 2022

Photography by Andrew Esiebo / Panos Pictures.

Despite contributing among the least to greenhouse gas emissions, African countries will not be shielded from the impacts of climate change. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projects that heatwaves, droughts and floods are expected to worsen in the coming decade. Governments agree that we need to reduce global emissions from 50 billion tonnes per year to net-zero by 2050. Nonetheless, the global economy remains dependent on fossil fuels for most of its energy, a third of which comes from crude oil. The US Environmental Information Administration projects a 50 per cent increase in global energy consumption by 2050, which does not align with the media’s push for a transition from total dependence on fossil fuels to the widespread adoption of renewable sources or Green Energy.

A 2015 McKinsey energy study showed that countries with electrification rates for less than 80 per cent of their population generally suffer reduced GDP per capita. Furthermore, the study suggests that even though countries like Angola or Gabon have vast natural resources, people’s access to energy (electricity) and the infrastructure to consume said energy are the main indicators to how well the power sector is supporting economic development.

Recent years have seen the emergence of influential networks focused on promoting the adoption of ‘green energy’; such as the World Economic Forum, the World Resources Institute, 350.org, the Climate Action Network. However, these networks rarely bring up the fact that the nations in Africa, South America, and Asia from which the majority of energy materials are sourced, still have to deal with the environmental fallout of a renewed scramble for materials that will ‘power’ the transition away from over-reliance on fossil fuels globally.

Rare earth metals (lithium, chrome, platinum among others), as well as cobalt, iron, bauxite, coltan, gold, and copper, are materials critical to the manufacture of the batteries, circuits, and electrical infrastructure upon which windmills, solar panels, and powerplants function. In this context, a dire precedent is revisited: resources from less-developed regions being produced for the advancement of richer regions while source nations remain stagnant, decline, or at the very least grow at a slower rate than the average individual cannot identify.

Over 600 million people across Africa do not have access to electricity; this energy deficit contributes to debilitating economic realities—lowered productivity and higher costs of living. Poor energy infrastructure also hinders public investment into schools, healthcare, and community centres.

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About the Author

Otobong Inieke

is an independent researcher based in southern Nigeria. His analysis has been published on platforms such as The Hood Communists, Horn Observers, and The Black Agenda Report.

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Africa’s Energy Deficit