Africa accounts for just 6% of global energy demand

Kevin Kariuki, vice-president power, energy and green growth at the African Development Bank (AfDB), made several assertions at the second webinar series of the Africa Investment Roundtable (AIR) entitled: “Sustainability En route COP26” in Lagos, while speaking on the role of AfDB in Africa’s transition to clean energy.

“Africa accounts for only six percent of global energy demand, [and] a little more than three percent of electricity demand.

“This, I must observe, is abject energy poverty, because out of 790mn people without access to electricity globally, 565mn (72%) are in Africa.

“It has been projected that Africans without access to electricity will increase by 30mn in 2020 owing to [coronavirus] COVID-19.

“Also, as a way of showing this abject electricity poverty, at 185kWh per annum, the continent has the lowest per capital electricity consumption in the world.

“Also, 900mn people in Africa lack access to clean cooking, which excludes them from economic and health benefits that come with access to clean cooking.

“We cannot be proud of this development, because lack to access clean electricity constrains modern economic activities and hampers improvements in the quality of lives of Africans,” he said.