The African continent is faced with an extremely difficult energy ‘trilemma’ – the largely underdeveloped bloc needs to find a way to manage its energy production and imports in a way that balances sufficient and reliable energy with affordability and sustainability. Achieving all three of these essential axes is extremely difficult, particularly in the short timeline African leaders are faced with.
Africa has some of the most underdeveloped energy grids on the planet, and is simultaneously facing the world’s biggest population boom. The continent’s population is expected to double between now and 2050; by midcentury, a quarter of the global population will be in sub-Saharan Africa. The result will be a rapidly expanding energy and infrastructure gap in the coming decades. Today, around 600 million people in Africa completely lack access to electricity, and the continent’s energy demand is expected to…
