Building Resilience in Africa: Enabling an Inclusive Digital Economy and Energy Access for All

The policy brief contends that Africa's vulnerability to crises like COVID-19 and climate change is exacerbated by low access to energy and the digital economy. It proposes that the AU-EU partnership should prioritise decentralised, renewable energy solutions to bridge the digital divide, as internet access is viewed as a critical value-added energy service and a human right. The document recommends that multi-lateral financial institutions invest in green energy, while policymakers incentivise broadband access and integrate ICT skills into education to foster economic inclusion and climate resilience.

• Low levels of resilience in Africa are closely linked to limited access to critical energy services, specifically the digital economy, which is essential for safe socio-economic activity during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Internet access in Africa remains severely limited; in 2017, only 22% of the population had access, and approximately 1.1 billion people still need to be brought online to achieve universal access.
• Decentralised renewable and low-carbon energy solutions are identified as the primary means to increase energy access in Africa, as national electricity grids—excluding South Africa—generally fail to reach populations.
• In sub-Saharan Africa, the average electricity access rate is 43%, which is nearly half of the global average of 87%.
• Even in South Africa, where 75% of households have grid connectivity, reliability and affordability issues prevent low-income households from accessing digital services for health, education, and banking.
• Increasing internet penetration in emerging economies has a direct positive impact on economic growth, with a 10% increase in penetration driving a 1.2% increase in GDP per head growth.
• The document recommends that multi-lateral financial institutions invest in decentralised green energy and that African and European policymakers collaborate to subsidise high-speed internet and integrate ICT skills into curricula.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2020). Building Resilience in Africa: Enabling an Inclusive Digital Economy and Energy Access for All. https://saiia.org.za/research/building-resilience-in-africa-enabling-an-inclusive-digital-economy-and-energy-access-for-all/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Building Resilience in Africa: Enabling an Inclusive Digital Economy and Energy Access for All. 2020. https://saiia.org.za/research/building-resilience-in-africa-enabling-an-inclusive-digital-economy-and-energy-access-for-all/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Building Resilience in Africa: Enabling an Inclusive Digital Economy and Energy Access for All |date=27 September 2020 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/building-resilience-in-africa-enabling-an-inclusive-digital-economy-and-energy-access-for-all/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2020building, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Building Resilience in Africa: Enabling an Inclusive Digital Economy and Energy Access for All}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2020}, month = sep, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/building-resilience-in-africa-enabling-an-inclusive-digital-economy-and-energy-access-for-all/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }