By Yacoub El Hillo:
At night, when the world lights up, large swathes of Africa remain cloaked in darkness—a stark reminder of the continent’s lack of reliable access to electricity.
This access is one of the key ingredients to accelerating the continent’s progress – powering homes, schools, hospitals, and businesses, towards unlocking the continent’s full potential. For millions of Africans, the absence of affordable and reliable access to electricity isn’t just about lighting a room —it’s about access to education, economic growth, and a better quality of life.
Africa’s story in terms of its reliable access to electricity can be seen through the lens of three key data points: 600, 300, and 55.5. These figures highlight the challenge, the goal, and the opportunity shaping the continent’s access to electricity and overall energy future.
“600 million” illustrates the scale of the issue—over half of Africa’s population still lacks reliable access to electricity. “300” reflects the ambition of Africa’s target to turn the page on this access— Mission 300 aims to provide power to 300 million people by 2030. “55.5” underscores the opportunity—more than 55 per cent of Africa’s energy already comes from renewable sources, paving the way for long-term development.
Around 600 million Africans still lack reliable access to electricity, which is nearly half the continent’s population and more than 80 per cent of the global electricity access gap.
For African communities, access to affordable energy is a lifeline. It transforms everyday life, especially in isolated and vulnerable areas. Reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy creates quality jobs, protects livelihoods, boosts security to bring durable peace and promotes economic growth.
Access to energy, also breaks down barriers for women and girls, enabling them to pursue opportunities that were previously out of reach, from starting small businesses to accessing information and education online.
For instance, farmers can use energy to power irrigation systems, extending growing seasons and boosting agricultural output. Manufacturers benefit from consistent power for their operations, leading to higher production rates and reduced downtime that could usher in an age of industrialization and prosperity.
Reliable and affordable access to energy also provide Africa with the policy space to take control of its own development path, mobilising domestic capital while attracting international investment.
Through an initiative called “Mission 300”, the World Bank Group, the African Development Bank Group and the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative are working with partners to expand electricity access to 300 million people throughout the continent by 2030.
To achieve this goal, the initiative focuses on improving Africa’s energy sector by enhancing infrastructure, updating policies, and attracting private investment.
UN teams on the ground are working closely with governments and other partners through this engagement. In Guinea, the UN, led by the Resident Coordinator (RC), is supporting the development of hydroelectric dams and solar power plants, providing clean, reliable electricity that reach more than 34,000 people per project.
In Burundi, the UN’s work centres on renewable energy projects that would support the country in bringing in investors while expanding the electricity distribution network to underserved areas.
UN teams across Africa are also supporting climate-friendly and sustainable means to generate energy. For example, there are initiatives to boost renewable energy production in Botswana, studies to harness offshore energy in Mauritius and innovative clean energy financing projects in Madagascar.
In terms of energy access, Africa—with its abundant resources and growing population—must have the autonomy to shape an energy mix that addresses its development needs while staying true to its global environmental commitments. Fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas currently play critical roles in several African economies.
Without the ability to utilise these resources, the continent not only faces economic slowdowns but also the challenge of leaving millions in the dark. This would pose a significant setback to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. Therefore, UN teams across the continent supports African countries in advocating for a balanced energy mix that is tailored to the realities on the ground.
An important part of this balance is Africa’s use of renewable energy. The continent is demonstrating strong leadership in this area, with 55.5 per cent of its total final energy consumption coming from renewable sources based on 2021 data. This trend outpaces Europe (15.3 per cent), Northern America (12.4 per cent) and Asia (16.8 per cent) per the Global SDG Database.
In fact, many of the African countries with least access to electricity have the highest share of renewable energy in their final energy consumption. This presents a potent opportunity for the rollout of renewable energy on the continent.
And with Africa holding 30 per cent of the world’s essential minerals for renewable technologies and 60 per cent of the world’s best solar resources, the continent possesses enormous potential to fuel its future growth with clean energy.
Yet, Africa only received 2 per cent of global renewable energy investments in the last 20 years, far below what’s needed to accelerate change. This year, we have an opportunity to help turn this trend. The new generation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement are due to be submitted ahead of COP30 in Belem, Brazil, 10-21 November 2025.
The UN system is committed to help countries ensure that their NDCs are economy-wide and can act as investment plans for sustainable development. UN Resident Coordinators in Africa are galvanizing their UN Country Teams under the UNDP Climate Promise umbrella to support the development of these NDCs and to attract investment.
Against this backdrop, the Africa Energy Summit in Tanzania on 27 and 28 January provided a timely opportunity to reflect on how expanding electricity access can transform lives and drive sustainable development across the continent.
The Summit offered a platform for Africa to showcase its leadership in creating an affordable, clean energy future—not only for the continent but as an inspiration for the world. —IPS
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Yacoub El Hillo is UN DCO Regional Director for Africa.
HARNESSING POWER—In Guinea, the UN is supporting the development of hydroelectric dams and solar power plants. Picture credit – UNICEF
