Improving energy access across Africa is a necessary step towards inclusive economic transformation and sustainable development. How can the potential of mini-grids be harnessed to meet this challenge? Accelerated economic development resulting in higher disposable incomes is a prerequisite for eradicating poverty in Africa. For this to be achieved, there must be more equitable allocation of resources to unlock the productive capacity of citizens. This will require support resources to be available, like access to energy, better health services and basic education. In particular, improving African populations’ access to energy is critical if the continent is to achieve the ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the UN in late 2015. While Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 explicitly focuses on the need to “ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all,” it is widely recognised that energy access will also play a pivotal role in the achievement of other SDGs, including those related to poverty reduction, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, resilient infrastructure and sustainable industrialisation, access to healthcare, and access to food. Energy access is one of the key enablers of economic development, contributing to the mechanisation needed to reduce inefficiency, which is one of...
Written by Edward Mungai