Only 30% of the population is connected to the grid (vs. 73% for developing countries) – in some countries (Uganda, Malawi, Rwanda), electrification rate is less 5%
In 2009, 657 million Africans relied on tradiional biomass as their source of energy, representing nearly half of the continent’s current energy use
Africa spends about USD 10 bn per year on the power sector (USD 2.27 bn for grid extension, USD 4.59 bn for grid supply, USD 1.37 bn for off-grid renewable electricity, USD 1,07 bn for policy/regulation and USD 0.76 bn for efficient use of electricity)
An investment of USD 40.6 bn per year is required – USD 26.6 bn in capital expenditure and USD 14 bn in operation and maintenance
The current generation capacity of sub-Saharan Africa is in the region of 80 GW, of which over half is in South Africa (These figures accord with Anton Eberhard)
With 5% of global primary energy use and 15% of the world’s population, per capita energy consumption in Africa is only a third of the global average. NEarly half of the current energy use is traditional biomass
In 2009, 657 million Africans relied on traditional biomass and 587 million people lacked access to electricity
Limited and unrealiable energy access is a major impediment for economic growth. In the coming decades, the energy mix will have to change to modern fuels, the per capita energy use will increase and the population will grow much faster than the global average. Together, these three factors will put tremendous pressure on future African energy supply
While electrification programmes have improved access in some countries, many rural populations remain deprived of electricity. The average electrification rate is 30%: 70% in urban areas and 12% in rural areas. In a business-as-usual case, it will rise to 34% in 2020
