Background
The constraints on African economies and communities brought on by the continent’s persistent energy access deficit have recently been made worse by the global energy crisis. This, in turn, has been brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the growing impact of climate change.
If Africa is to achieve the development goals outlined in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the larger African Union (AU) Agenda 2063, the continent needs a radical shift in how it views energy. It also needs urgent action to address its long-standing energy access issues. Such action must include increased financial support from donor countries and multilateral institutions.
Many African countries are not on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) target of ensuring everyone can access affordable, dependable, sustainable and modern energy. Access to
reasonably priced and reliable modern energy services is also a crucial prerequisite for progress in many
other development goals.
