Just Energy Transition: Continental Overview of Renewable Energy in Sub-Saharan Africa

The report assesses the current state of electricity generation, transmission, and consumption across Africa, highlighting a 'double burden' of climate and transition risk. It finds that while renewable energy potential is high, investment is heavily skewed toward generation and concentrated in a few countries, with significant data gaps hindering effective policy. The analysis of Global Production Networks (GPNs) reveals a heavy dependence on imported technology, particularly from China, and identifies specific challenges and opportunities for localising solar and wind value chains. Employment data is noted as inconsistent, though solar PV dominates the current renewable energy job landscape.

• Africa faces a 'double burden' where governments must manage the risks of climate change and the transition away from fossil fuels while simultaneously addressing severe sustainable development deficits and unsustainable sovereign debt.
• Electricity consumption and access are highly uneven across the continent; for example, Nigeria's per capita consumption in 2021 was less than 150 kWh, which is 25 times lower than that of South Africa.
• Investment in electricity infrastructure is heavily skewed toward generation (98.2%), with only 0.3% of World Bank-identified investments going into transmission networks, hindering regional integration goals.
• Africa's share of global renewable energy investment was only 0.6% ($2.6 billion) in 2021, with the majority of funding coming from international sources and concentrated in Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, and South Africa.
• The solar PV value chain is highly concentrated in China, and African states remain dependent on imported technology, though some local assembly plants exist in South Africa, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, and Tunisia.
• Localising the wind energy value chain is more challenging than solar due to site-specific requirements and the need for heavy infrastructure to transport massive components.
• Solar photovoltaic systems dominate the renewable energy employment landscape in Africa, accounting for approximately 91% of jobs across 17 studied countries.
• Gender disparity persists in the clean energy sector; women hold only 25% of leadership positions and 26% of middle and lower management roles in renewable energy companies across sub-Saharan Africa.
• Significant data gaps exist regarding energy employment and general electricity statistics, with many sources using incommensurate metrics such as headcounts versus full-time equivalents (FTEs).

APA

Hermanus, L., & Kamanzi, B. (n.d.). Just Energy Transition: Continental Overview of Renewable Energy in Sub-Saharan Africa. Institute for Economic Justice. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Continental-Overview-of-Renewable-Energy-in-Sub-Saharan-Africa.pdf

Chicago

Hermanus, Lauren, and Brian Kamanzi. Just Energy Transition: Continental Overview of Renewable Energy in Sub-Saharan Africa. Institute for Economic Justice, n.d. https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Continental-Overview-of-Renewable-Energy-in-Sub-Saharan-Africa.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hermanus |first1=Lauren |last2=Kamanzi |first2=Brian |title=Just Energy Transition: Continental Overview of Renewable Energy in Sub-Saharan Africa |publisher=Institute for Economic Justice |url=https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Continental-Overview-of-Renewable-Energy-in-Sub-Saharan-Africa.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hermanusndjust, author = {Hermanus, Lauren and Kamanzi, Brian}, title = {{Just Energy Transition: Continental Overview of Renewable Energy in Sub-Saharan Africa}}, institution = {Institute for Economic Justice}, url = {https://iej.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Continental-Overview-of-Renewable-Energy-in-Sub-Saharan-Africa.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }