G20 Energy Access Action Plan: Voluntary Collaboration on Energy Access

The G20 Energy Access Action Plan focuses its first phase on improving electricity access in sub-Saharan Africa, where approximately 620 million people lack power. The plan proposes six key areas for collaboration: policy and regulatory environments, technology deployment, investment and finance, capacity building, regional integration, and coordination. It emphasizes a flexible, voluntary approach that respects national sovereignty over energy mixes. The document also compiles 'good practice' case studies from G20 members—including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Korea, Mexico, Russia, Singapore, and Turkey—and details specific international development projects in Africa led by the UK, France, Germany, and Italy, as well as the African Union's Geothermal Risk Mitigation Facility.

• Sub-Saharan Africa is the most electricity-poor region globally, with approximately 620 million people (two-thirds of the population) living without electricity, and it is the only major region where the number of people without access is increasing due to population growth.
• The G20 Action Plan identifies six priority areas for supporting electricity access in sub-Saharan Africa: policy and regulatory environment, technology development, dissemination and deployment, investment and finance, capacity building, regional integration, and coordination and collaboration.
• Universal electrification in sub-Saharan Africa requires significant funding; the Global Tracking Framework estimates an additional $36 billion in annual investments is needed to achieve universal access by 2030.
• The African Union's Geothermal Risk Mitigation Facility (GRMF), established in 2012, provides grants to mitigate risks of geothermal exploration, covering up to 80% of surface studies and 40% of drilling costs.
• Brazil's 'Light for All Program', launched in 2003, provided electricity infrastructure to 3.2 million households (15.5 million people) as of May 2015, with a total investment of R$ 22.7 billion (US$ 7.3 billion).
• India's Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) focuses on rural electrification through the separation of agricultural and non-agricultural feeders and the provision of free connections to households below the poverty line.
• South Africa's Integrated National Electrification Programme (INEP) increased electrification from 34% of the population in 1994 to 86% of formal housing in 2015, though a backlog of approximately 3 million households without metered supply remains.
• The 'Lighting Africa' joint initiative by the IFC and World Bank aims to create a commercially sustainable market for off-grid lighting, having already enabled over 35 million people in Africa to access clean lighting.
• The G20 Action Plan emphasizes that the choice of energy mix is a sovereign decision of national governments, including the use of both renewable and fossil energy resources.

APA

Sustainable Energy for All (n.d.). G20 Energy Access Action Plan: Voluntary Collaboration on Energy Access. http://www.seforall.org/sites/default/files/l/2015/10/G20-Energy-Access-Action-Plan.pdf

Chicago

Sustainable Energy for All. G20 Energy Access Action Plan: Voluntary Collaboration on Energy Access. n.d. http://www.seforall.org/sites/default/files/l/2015/10/G20-Energy-Access-Action-Plan.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Sustainable Energy for All |title=G20 Energy Access Action Plan: Voluntary Collaboration on Energy Access |url=http://www.seforall.org/sites/default/files/l/2015/10/G20-Energy-Access-Action-Plan.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sustainableenergyforallndg20, author = {{Sustainable Energy for All}}, title = {{G20 Energy Access Action Plan: Voluntary Collaboration on Energy Access}}, institution = {Sustainable Energy for All}, url = {http://www.seforall.org/sites/default/files/l/2015/10/G20-Energy-Access-Action-Plan.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }