Ahmed Zamrawi, researcher in international relations
Despite significant development in Africa over the past two decades, electricity production remains critically low compared to global standards. With a rapidly growing population, the continent faces increasing pressure on its energy infrastructure. Current data reveals that Africa’s electricity generation accounts for only 3% of global production, with access rates stagnating at around 60.9% in 2015.
Ahmed Zamraoui, an international relations researcher, discusses the electricity crisis in Africa. Despite the developmental boom the continent has experienced over the past two decades, from building large dams to a significant expansion in solar energy projects, electricity production remains below the required level compared to other regions worldwide. This is occurring at a time when the population is growing rapidly, increasing pressure on energy infrastructure.
Data from the International Energy Agency, based in Paris, indicates that Africa’s total electricity production in 2023 did not exceed 3% of global production, while the average access to electricity in 53 African countries remained at around 60.9%, showing little improvement over the past two years.
The energy sector in the continent primarily relies on natural gas, which accounts for 41.7% of production sources, followed by coal at 24.7%, and hydropower at 18.4%.
Despite Africa possessing about 60% of the world’s best solar energy resources, it received only 2% of global investments in clean energy in 2024, reflecting a significant gap between available potential and the actual investment reality in the sector.
To estimate the electricity production gap, a comparison between countries with similar populations is sufficient. Spain recorded a production of about 290 terawatt-hours in 2023, while Sudan, despite having a similar population, produced only 9 terawatt-hours. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, with a population exceeding 110 million, produced less than 8 terawatt-hours.
On the other hand, the United States averaged about 360 terawatt-hours monthly, while China’s total production exceeded 10,000 terawatt-hours during the same year, highlighting the vast disparity in electrical capacity between Africa and the rest of the world.
In Sudan, dams provided about half of the local electricity production before the outbreak of war in April 2023, but the total capacity did not exceed 3.5 gigawatts, forcing the country to rely on electricity imports from Egypt and Ethiopia to fill the energy gap.
Ethiopia, despite officially announcing the completion of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and filling its reservoir, has not seen this achievement directly reflected in its national grid, as major challenges remain in electricity distribution rather than generation. The CEO of the Ethiopian Electric Power Company revealed that the current production capacity reached 7,910 megawatts, thanks to the dam and the Gibe III project, noting record revenues from electricity exports to neighboring countries. However, these figures have not translated into domestic sufficiency, as experts assert that the weak distribution network, vulnerable to floods, rains, and excessive loads, continues to hinder electricity delivery across the country.
The electricity production sector in Africa has not seen significant changes over the past two years, with South Africa maintaining its leading position with a production of about 229 terawatt-hours in 2023, remaining the largest electricity producer on the continent. Egypt ranked second with a production of 215 terawatt-hours, followed by Algeria and Morocco. Nigeria ranked fifth with about 40 terawatt-hours, and Libya came sixth with a production of 33 terawatt-hours.
Despite South Africa’s leadership in production, its reliance on coal as a primary energy source has increased over the past two years, with data from the Low Carbon Energy platform indicating that about 80% of its production between July 2024 and June 2025 came from coal. In contrast, other countries have sought to diversify their sources and enhance reliance on solar, hydro, and natural gas as part of their efforts to transition to more sustainable and less polluting energy sources.
Solar energy production in Africa reached only 21.5 gigawatts in 2024, a modest figure compared to China, which managed to generate 8 gigawatts in just five months. Amid slow government responses, the private sector and individuals have increasingly turned to importing solar panels, with imports from China rising by 60% to reach 15 gigawatts, and 20 African countries recording record levels in this field, reflecting a gradual shift towards alternative energy solutions at the grassroots level.
The African Development Bank launched the “Energy Efficiency Index” to measure the level of governance and regulation in the electricity sector across the continent, evaluating 43 countries with effective regulatory bodies. Data from 2024 revealed a notable improvement in overall performance, particularly in countries like Kenya and Senegal, which recorded progress in tariff reforms and improved government utility performance.
The index indicated that regulatory reforms have begun to translate into tangible improvements in service quality and have contributed to enhancing investment returns in the sector, despite ongoing structural challenges, including limited access to electricity in many areas and barriers hindering investment flow.
In this context, international contributions such as the “Power Africa” initiative launched by former U.S. President Barack Obama in 2013 aimed to provide electricity to 60 million homes and businesses in Africa, with funding exceeding $54 billion. However, the initiative was halted in 2025 by the current U.S. administration, raising questions about the future of international support for the energy sector in the continent.
The electricity shortage, along with the fragility of transportation infrastructure, remains one of the most significant challenges hindering the path to industrial and economic development in Africa. The lack of sufficient energy disrupts manufacturing industries and forces the continent to rely on exporting raw materials and importing finished products, preventing the realization of local added value and limiting the improvement of living standards for millions of residents.
Over the past two decades, Africa has made strides in development, including the construction of large dams and a notable expansion in solar energy projects. However, the continent still struggles with electricity production, which remains below global standards. This gap is exacerbated by a rapidly growing population, putting additional strain on energy infrastructure.
The International Energy Agency reports that Africa’s total electricity production in 2023 was only 3% of global output, with access to electricity in 53 African countries stagnating at approximately 60.9%. This situation highlights the urgent need for investment and infrastructure improvements to meet the continent’s energy.
