News; 635Million Africans perpetually exist without electricty - IEA - Blueprint

The International Energy Administration (IEA) has put the number of people without electricity in sub-Saharan Africa at 635 million, noting that the figure represents 2/3 of the population in sub-Saharan Africa.

The IEA which said it expects the figure to drop to 500 million by 2040, also said in order to increase access to electricity leaders and governments in sub-Saharan Africa should think about reforms that would attract investors into the energy sector.

The Executive Director of IEA, Dr. Faith Birol, who made this disclosure in a paper on the “role of energy access in meeting Africa’s sustainable development agenda,” said that partnership and investments made by governments and companies outside of Africa, were essential for the continent.

He expressed the hope that Africa would become a mainstay of global oil production and emerging as a major player in natural gas, anchored by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) export in the nearest future.

He noted that major discoveries in Nigeria, Mozambique and Tanzania are signs that the continent had the capacity to be top players in the energy market.

“The African continent in hugely rich in resources, with major energy producers, including Nigeria for oil and gas, Angola for oil and South Africa for coal. In recent years, there have been major oil and gas discoveries across the continent: Africa has led the world in discoveries since 2012, with large gas discoveries in Mozambique and Tanzania, oil and gas discoveries in Angola and Nigeria, and the very important Zohr discovery by Eni last year in Egypt.

“In the future, we see Africa remaining a mainstay of global oil production and emerging as a major player in natural gas, anchored by LNG export. But just as importantly, if not more importantly, are the huge untapped renewable energy resources. Less than 10 per cent of the region’s hydropower potential has been tapped so far, and wind and solar energy potential are abundant”.

Beyond electricity, the IEA said the importance of access to clean, modern cooking fuels is a critical issue, one which affects four-fifths of sub-Saharan Africans, but receives far less attention than electrification.

“Biomass used in a traditional way for cooking, in open, smoky fires, is a massive contributor to air pollution, which is the biggest environmental threat to human life, responsible for 5.5 million deaths every year in the world.”