The Data-Driven Electrification in Africa Programme is supported by

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  • USAID

    USAID leads international development and humanitarian efforts to save lives, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance and help people progress beyond assistance.

    Read more
  • Power Africa

    Power Africa brings together technical and legal experts, the private sector, and governments from around the world to work in partnership to increase the number of people with access to power.

    Read more

Universal energy access is one of the main driving forces in alleviating poverty and ensuring sustainable and inclusive economic growth

Universal energy access is one of the driving forces in alleviating poverty and ensuring sustainable and inclusive economic growth. The IEA World Energy Outlook, however, shows that close to 600 million people remain without access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa. This number rose in 2020 due to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, reversing progress observed in recent years. A delayed recovery would see the number of individuals without access to electricity increase from almost 600 to 630 million by 2030.

The energy access sector is undergoing deep transformations that can help bridge the gap, but there is a pressing need to provide governments with more actionable and pointed tools for integrated electricity planning. Such resources are necessary to make the most of centralized and decentralized solutions, leveraging off-grid private sector-led initiatives such as mini-grid deployment and solar home systems distribution.

These off-grid solutions are essential to provide access to electricity and advance efforts to reach universal energy access by 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. Power Africa is drawing on the IEA’s expertise to support governments as they develop improved programs and policies that aim to accelerate electricity access. The grant envisaged an approach aiming to:

  • Improve coverage and quality of electricity access data
  • Make state-of the art geospatial modelling and data more actionable for countries to derive effective electricity access policies leveraging centralized and decentralized energy solutions

Improving electricity access data in sub-Saharan Africa

The IEA will aimed to refine and improve electricity access data collection to improve the understanding of electricity access tracking and analyses by providing more robust, standardized and comprehensive datasets. Also, to drive more informed, focused and impactful policy programs. The IEA engaged in this work in up to six countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

The IEA has been monitoring global energy statistics and tracking global electricity access data since 2000. Currently, we estimate 600 million people in Africa lack reliable electricity access. Although steady progress has been made to reduce this number, the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2022 energy crisis reversed this trend. Timely and comprehensive indicators of electricity access are crucial for policy makers to plan and adjust universal electrification efforts. Therefore, to accelerate and strengthen these efforts, the IEA has published the Guidebook for Improved Electricity Access Statistics outlining a unified strategy for developing electricity access indicators.

This Guidebook provides key recommendations for leveraging both supply- and demand-side data sources and covers all steps in the process, including data collection, validation, processing, and dissemination. It addresses the most significant barriers countries face in tracking access and proposing best practices to overcome these challenges. Notably, this Guidebook details a methodology for estimating new access from stand-alone power systems, which are becoming more common in electrification efforts, using sales and distribution data as well as methods to adjust for product lifetimes, use, and resale. The Guidebook also highlights strategies for developing electricity access information systems that geographical disaggregate data, which is a critical step towards integrating GIS into electrification planning protocols. Ultimately, the Guidebook aims to improve the quality, granularity, availability, comparability, and standardization of electricity access indicators.

Enhancing geospatial analysis for defining pathways to universal electricity access by distribution mode and fuel

The IEA sought to improve geospatial tools and data for integrated electrification planning, encompassing residential and productive demand for energy and utilizing these tools to contribute to improved electricity planning capacities at the government level and more impactful policies to deliver the best route for universal access. IEA promoted this work in up to three countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Data-Driven Electrification in Africa Programme is supported by

  • USAID

    USAID leads international development and humanitarian efforts to save lives, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance and help people progress beyond assistance.

    Read more
  • Power Africa

    Power Africa brings together technical and legal experts, the private sector, and governments from around the world to work in partnership to increase the number of people with access to power.

    Read more