The energy security situation in Africa is relatively unstable. Around 600 million Africans have no access to electricity and another 180 million rely on wood or charcoal for cooking.
African countries will need to increase their renewable power generation from only 59 GW (gigawatts) to a staggering 2,354 GW by 2050 to be on par with world averages for basic access to electricity and to meet decarbonization commitments.
This is an incredible increase and will be remarkably challenging, but continent-wide collaboration and investment is possible and would simultaneously stimulate economic growth to create a vibrant energy sector.
African countries are rich in high-quality renewable sources of energy. While hydropower, solar, and wind energy are currently the most exploited sources of green energy, there is great potential to further develop other sources like geothermal and green hydrogen.
With plentiful access to fossil fuels across the continent, Africa should also look towards optimizing its existing nonrenewable resources to advance the transition to a renewable energy infrastructure.
Transitioning Africa’s power sector to carbon neutral and providing reasonable access to electricity will however come with a hefty price tag, approximately $2.6 trillion as per the report, which is roughly the current size of Africa’s gross domestic product.