Sub-Saharan Africa

The Problem

Energy poverty is a tremendous constraint to progress on health, human welfare, and economic development across the continent. The majority of Africans do not have access to modern electricity at home, while businesses suffer from high power costs and chronic unreliability.

Limits to the Current Approach

Many international development actors are focused on small-scale household approaches to combat energy poverty. While helpful for the poorest customers, this strategy will have limited long-term impact because such systems cannot provide enough of the energy needed to drive productive activities, job creation, and rising incomes.

Our Approach

The Energy for Growth Hub is reframing the conversation so that policymakers and investors are focusing not only on household electricity access, but also on building smart high-energy solutions which can help the continent achieve its own development ambitions. The continent has enormous untapped potential for energy generation from hydropower, solar, wind, natural gas, and more. The Hub brings together the best research, data, and expertise to help enable smart and sustainable energy policy choices.