New Energy World™
New Energy World™ embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low-carbon technologies.
Kenya’s path to universal power – a blueprint for sub-Saharan Africa?
9/8/2023
6 min read
Feature
Over half of sub-Saharan Africans live without electricity access – and this situation has worsened recently. However, there is regional disparity and some countries have achieved impressive energy access levels. Here, Sara Siddeeq presents Kenya as an inspirational example.
Despite recent advancements in energy accessibility in sub-Saharan Africa, the region remains the most energy-deprived globally, as underlined by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) March 2023 report.
The COVID-19 pandemic aggravated this already severe situation and, for the first time since 2013, the number of people without electricity access surged in 2020. This shift raised sub-Saharan Africa’s proportion of the global population living without electricity from 74% to an alarming 77%, according to the International Energy Agency.
Energy scarcity in the region ripples through multiple societal sectors, affecting health, education, poverty and sustainable development. The UNCTAD report underscored the scarcity of clean cooking fuels and technology. Women and girls, who primarily bear the household’s cooking responsibilities, suffer the most from this problem, facing heightened exposure to household air pollution.