Accelerating Sustainable Electricity Access in Sub-Saharan Africa

This briefing by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) outlines the challenges and opportunities for expanding sustainable electricity access in sub-Saharan Africa. It advocates for an integrated approach that combines on-grid and off-grid resources to meet growing energy demands while mitigating future carbon emissions.

• As of 2013, electricity access in sub-Saharan Africa was severely limited, with 68% of households—representing more than 600 million people—lacking access. Globally, 1.2 billion people lacked electricity, which the document identifies as an essential requirement for social welfare improvement and economic growth.
• Sub-Saharan Africa's electricity consumption is projected to reach 1,600 terawatt-hours by 2040. This volume is equivalent to the 2013 combined consumption of the Caribbean and Latin America, or the output of over 600 coal power plants with a capacity of 500MW each, presenting a significant opportunity to mitigate future carbon emissions through clean power.
• The expansion of electricity access faces three primary obstacles: high costs within developing country electricity systems, slow growth in the off-grid market, and a lack of coordinated planning between the private sector, public sector, and development partners.
• To reduce grid operation costs, RMI suggests that countries implement utility-led energy efficiency programs, replace pure diesel rental systems with solar-plus-diesel hybrid systems, and prioritize the reduction of congestion and losses in transmission and distribution.
• To accelerate off-grid market growth, governments should implement private sector-driven programs that address affordability gaps via subsidies or financing, increase consumer awareness in areas not slated for grid connection within five years, establish supportive import and quality policies, and provide workforce training and debt facilities.

APA

RMI (2016). Accelerating Sustainable Electricity Access in Sub-Saharan Africa. https://rmi.org/resources/accelerating-sustainable-electricity-access-sub-saharan-africa/

Chicago

RMI. Accelerating Sustainable Electricity Access in Sub-Saharan Africa. 2016. https://rmi.org/resources/accelerating-sustainable-electricity-access-sub-saharan-africa/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Accelerating Sustainable Electricity Access in Sub-Saharan Africa |date=8 June 2016 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/accelerating-sustainable-electricity-access-sub-saharan-africa/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2016accelerating, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Accelerating Sustainable Electricity Access in Sub-Saharan Africa}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2016}, month = jun, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/accelerating-sustainable-electricity-access-sub-saharan-africa/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }