Roughly 600 million people across Africa remain without electricity, underscoring the sheer scale of investment and infrastructure needed to close the continent’s energy gap by 2030, according to the Global Africa Business Initiative.
Africa requires an estimated $64 billion in annual investment and about 26 gigawatts of fresh power generation capacity each year to meet its electricity needs by the end of the decade. Current progress, however, sits at only about 7 to 8 gigawatts of new capacity annually.
Two Frameworks, One Goal
Lerato Dorothy Mataboge, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy at the African Union Commission, identified the Africa Single Electricity Market (AFSEM) and a continental energy master plan as the key frameworks for tackling the shortfall.
Both are designed to drive more coordinated approaches to energy planning, financing, power production, transmission, and electricity trade across African countries.
AFSEM aims to strengthen cross-border electricity markets, allowing countries to share available generation capacity — and potentially move power more efficiently from areas with surplus electricity to those facing shortages.
The continental energy master plan is expected to work alongside AFSEM, supporting coordinated development of Africa’s energy infrastructure and investment priorities.
Beyond Generation
The size of the electricity deficit makes clear that added generation capacity alone won’t be enough. Stronger transmission networks and regional interconnections are equally essential to getting power to where it’s needed.
